It is very obvious that the current security architecture in Nigeria cannot protect our people . The police , army , DSS etc have shown gross incapacity to curtail the rising wave of terror and banditry in Nigeria. Thus, the state governments and the people of the south east most rise up to put in place unique local policing and security architecture around our cities and hinterland to protect our land and people .
WAYS OUT /SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS FOR IMO STATE
SECURITY SHERIFFS/CUMMUNITY POLICING
1. Create A strong 2,208 excellently staffed Community Sheriffs and policing force through legislation of the Imo state House of assembly.
2. Each of this unit of Community Sheriff shall be fully armed and motorized and shall cover a land mass of 30sqkm.
3. Imo state has a landmass of 5,530 square kilometre. So we shall have 184 units of these fully funded, equipped, armed and motorized and bike mounted community security outfit.
The equipment and infrastructure support for this motorised security outfit include 184 fully kitted trucks, 552 power bikes, 2208 pump action rifles with enough ammunition, digital and encrypted telecommunications gadget, scanners, drones coverage and other medium of intelligent gathering.
4. It will take N3.5billion /$9.7m to fund the trucks, power bike , arms, ammunition, communications equipment, uniform and other security accessories for each of this 184 motorised and armed units.
It will take about N2.6bn/$7.3m annual recurrent expenditure or N216million monthly to drive this project /scheme annually.
5. This funds shall be raised through Town Union and Diaspora driven PPP initiatives and community policing security trust funds to be established in Imo state.
6. Each Autonomous community in Imo state partnering with the Local Government authorities covering its locations shall raise about N5.3m for the capital outlay and sustainable arrangements to fund the welfare and recurrent overhead of the operating sheriffs.
7. Interestingly , rather than the Imo state house of assembly approving security votes for LGA Chairmen, (which is obviously an ingenious ways of creating chop money for the boys, which we must all reject ), the House of Assembly should make a law for the creation of a Security Trust Fund that is independently managed by an Independent Imo Sherrif Agency that is transparently administered under robust MPPP frameworks .
Each of the 27 LGAs shall be statutorily made to contribute N8m monthly towards funding sustainably this independently and more transparently managed security trust fund for the agency’s recurrent operations.
We can also raise consumption tax of 2% on all the hotels and businesses in Imo state to support this fund. A fully secured Imo state will be good for the locals diaspora Ndi Igbo and businesses in Imo state.
We can also easily mobilize 10,000 Ndi Imo in diaspora across the world who will gladly contribute $80 per month to support the security trust funds to protect our people against the bandit and terrorist incursions into Ala Imo .
The Executions, expansion and sustainable administration of this agency is one of the reasons why we have counseled the new governor of Imo state to involve the Imo indigenes in diaspora town union and community groups scattered abroad in his government through setting up voluntary representative offices/officers in at least 50 offshore cities across the world . This will also help to drive Investments into Imo state .
The appointment of the headship of this state security agency and it’s governance board, should be done in such a way to make it independent and protected from the whims and caprices of a despotic governor .
The process of the appointment must be such that the Governor will nominate three qualifying Imolites with security background of not less than the position of former Director of the DSS or Commissioner of Police or Colonel of the DMI or NIA.
These three names will then be forwarded to the State Judicial Service Commission, who will interview them and vote to pick one successful candidate. The successful candidate is then sent to the State house of assembly for confirmation or otherwise.
The confirmed Head of the Imo Sherrif can only be removed at the recommendations of the governor, with the approval/concurrence of 2/3 of all the duly elected members of the state house of assembly.
The board of the agency should not have more than 5 members with representatives from 1. CAN, 2. Ndi Eze, 3. Association of Town Union , 4. NBA and the Chief Sherrif .
Let’s not provide security votes for those who do not understand what security is all about. Anyone, who desire to chop money in public office or thinks that occupation of public office is a veritable medium to make money, should please stay away from our FAAC and JAAC allocations. If you don’t know how to bake the cake by adding value to the State, and yourself , without playing monkey games kindly seek for help from the creative wealth makers .
Let’s work together to protect ourselves. Let our political leaders develop the political will to protect our people. Abuja may oppose us , but we must stand firm and resolute. Onye Ndi Iro gbara gburu gburu , na eche ndu ya nche
OBIARAERI, Nnaemeka Onyeka
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