President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's recent directive to the National Security Adviser and Security Chiefs for an immediate overhaul of Nigeria’s security strategy is a timely and much-needed intervention. For too long, the country has grappled with rising insurgency, terrorism, banditry, and a general sense of insecurity that threatens national stability.
It is therefore commendable that the President has recognized that winning the battle against insecurity requires more than tactical deployments; it demands a strategic restructuring that includes how security responsibilities are assigned and executed. Central to this overhaul must be the restoration of synergy and complementarity between and among the military, security, intelligence, and emergency response agencies.
No agency should operate in isolation; rather, each must have clearly defined roles, working in close partnership for maximum effectiveness. Unfortunately, the current reality paints a different picture: the military, which should be the last line of defence in internal security matters, has now become the first responder, while the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), constitutionally mandated to lead internal security efforts, has receded into the background.
This distortion must be urgently corrected. The military is structured, trained, and equipped primarily for conventional warfare and external defence, not for routine internal policing duties. Continually saddling them with internal security operations not only overstretches their capacity but also risks diminishing their readiness for their core function which is defending Nigeria’s territorial integrity against external aggression.
The Nigerian Police Force must be repositioned to reclaim its rightful role as the primary internal security agency. This repositioning demands urgent reforms, including the redeployment of the significant portion of the police currently assigned to VIP protection duties. It is unconscionable that over 60% of the police force is dedicated to protecting a privileged few while vast swathes of Nigerian communities remain grossly unpoliced and vulnerable to criminal elements.
Yes, apart from defending Nigeria from external aggression, the military is also mandated to avail itself in aid to civil authority when internal security threats such as insurgency, terrorism, and banditry, are beyond the capacity of the civil police to deal with, a role they have been faithfully and diligently performing, however, the point being made is that it is not in their professional interest nor the larger national security interest to be deliberately overstretched on account of our inability to think outside the box. The tendency to deploy our troops on mundane security challenges that are fundamentally law enforcement issues requiring intelligence-driven policing, community engagement, investigative proficiency, and prosecutorial follow-through, is to say the least, disingenuous. Most of the security challenges for which the military are distracted with are actually the responsibility of the police and other para military agencies. The police, therefore, must be adequately trained, equipped, and motivated to confront these threats head-on.
Too often, we see the military sweep into volatile communities, dislodge terrorists and criminal gangs, and still be expected to hold the ground instead of being complemented by the police and other paramilitary agents while the troops move on to other theatres. This model is not unsustainable . It not only stretches our armed forces thin but also distracts them from their primary role of defending the country from its adversaries.
The police, as the lead civil security agency, must be ready to step in once the military secures an area. They are trained for law enforcement, community policing, and long-term stabilization tasks that go beyond the military’s mandate. The absence of this transition leaves a dangerous vacuum, one that insurgents are all too eager to exploit.
Therefore, the police must evolve beyond traditional reactive policing methods. They must be extricated from the allure of VIP protection that is clearly distracting them from core policing. Modern internal security demands proactivity by way of gathering actionable intelligence, infiltrating criminal networks, disrupting operations before they materialize, and fostering trust and cooperation with the populace. This shift requires investment in technology, forensic capabilities, community policing frameworks, and human resource development.
Nigeria’s security future depends on a bold return to fundamentals: a strong police, a strategic military, and a system where every agency plays its rightful role. Moreover, to effectively secure Nigeria, we must rescue the police from redundancy and the military from overstretch. This is imperative. A nation that overburdens its military while its police is majorly ingrained in soft side of policing is a nation gambling with its future.
It must be noted that in Nigeria’s protracted war against insurgency and banditry, one thing is clear: the military cannot do it alone. Effective counter-insurgency demands more than boots on the ground; it requires a well-coordinated, multi-agency response. Central to this is the Nigerian Police Force, which must be mainstreamed into the overall strategy to play a decisive role. The police must be empowered, resourced, and fully integrated into counter-insurgency efforts. Without this synergy, we risk fighting a war that never ends.
Well, I hear that the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has kick-started the much-needed reform by ordering the immediate withdrawal of Mobile Police Force personnel guarding VIPs. Good call, only that this is not the first time such order will been given and nobody complies. For many observers, this might just be one of those usual motion without movement. We wait to see how far this will go.
Equally important is inter-agency coordination. Turf wars, rivalries, and lack of information sharing among security outfits have in the past hampered the effectiveness of Nigeria’s security responses. There must be a unified command structure for internal security operations, one that ensures seamless communication, operational harmony, and a collective ownership of security outcomes.
Lastly, the role of state governments in internal security must be enhanced. Governors, as chief security officers must think out of the box. They must evolve ingenious ideas of how to ensure that their domains are safe for their citizens. The best place for them to start is by ensuring some level of good governance in their domains.
It was no less a person than the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Christopher Musa, who stated in no mistaken terms that the military does not possess the magic wand with which to wave at security challenges and they vanish. He advocated for good governance in every tier of government, as according to him, that is the panacea.
You can’t fault Gen Musa’s advocacy. The reality staring us in the face is that despite the indefatigable efforts of troops of the Nigerian military who are currently deployed to 36 out 36 states to combat security challenges, insecurity is not only rising across the regions and states, it is appearing to be intractable. What does that tell you? It tells you that military (kinetic) approach to internal security operations is NOT the cure-all solution to our security problem.
Relying solely on the military is akin to treating just the symptoms of an ailment ignoring the root cause. Unless the disease which is the root cause of the symptom is treated, the illness will persist despite the efforts committed to addressing it. So are the internal security challenges confronting our country; if we don’t tackle the root cause, merely shooting at its manifestations is just scratching the surface. And that root cause is BAD GOVERNANCE!
Bad governance especially at the sub-national level is the chief driver of insecurity in Nigeria. Who doesn’t know that there is a correlation between bad governance (which breeds poverty and hardship) and spike in crime and criminality? Who doesn’t know that inept and corrupt leadership breeds poverty, hunger, misery, despondency, frustration, irritability, desperation and ultimately, criminality in the society?
Bad governance (read corruption, ineptitude and resultant malfeasance) is what breeds the army of hungry, restless unemployed youths across the country today; it is bad governance that manufactured 18.5 million out-of-school children in Nigeria today; it is bad governance that ensures lack of institutional capacities which in turn deny citizens of social and economic rights. All these negatives which are orchestrated by inept and corrupt governance are what has ensured a steady stream of prospective conscripts into crimes and criminalities in our country. It is no brainer therefore that the only way out is a change of heart by our political elite. But will they?
In more practical terms, state governors will secure their domains better by devoting substantial part of their monthly security votes to grassroots intelligence and community policing efforts. Establishing state police, with strict constitutional safeguards against abuse, is a conversation Nigeria must seriously entertain if it is to decentralize and democratize policing.
All said, Nigeria cannot win the war against insecurity by relying predominantly on military force. A professional, proactive, and people-centered police force must be at the forefront of internal security operations. The military must be relieved of routine policing burdens to focus on their primary role. Only through a strategic realignment of roles and robust inter-agency collaboration can Nigeria surmount its rising security challenges and lay the foundation for lasting peace and stability.
I ssconclude this intervention with the profound words of Andrew Brooks, American counterinsurgency expert in his book, Synergy of Action: "A nation is only as secure as the strength of its policing and the clarity of its defences."
Chidi Omeje is the publisher of Security Digest (www.securitydigestng.com)