Mohammed Adamu, the Inspector-General of Police has accused states of not cooperating with the Federal Government in the battle against insecurity.
He canvassed “community participation” through the involvement of traditional rulers to secure the country from all forms of criminality, The Nation reports.
According to him, security should not be left entirely in the hands of security agents.
Adamu spoke on Thursday during the third Quarterly Meeting of Secretaries to State Governments (SSGs) in Abuja, coordinated by Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha.
He said: “We are not getting the maximum cooperation we are supposed to get at the state level. And we believe that the SSGs should be conscious of security in their states.
“When they are able to galvanise all the stakeholders and different structures that can enhance the security of their states, we would have relative peace in terms of insecurity.
“If SSGs are not coordinating activities within the states in these areas I don’t think there is anybody that can do it.”
National Security Adviser (NSA) Babagana Monguno said traditional rulers should be involved in the security architecture.
Monguno said: “If you disengage community leaders, you will not have the type of intelligence you need.
“Right now, security agencies do not work together as closely as expected. We have been trying to ensure unity of purpose, unity of operation”.
“Whether we like it or not, in Nigeria, we fundamentally rely on traditional institutions. They are essential to security and if they do not carry the kind of authority they ought to, we cannot recalibrate the entire political structure.
“Leave out our traditional rulers, you will begin to see all kinds of leaders of various sects filling the vacuum because their traditional rulers have been taken away from what they are supposed to do and coordinate.
“It is not to give people traditional titles alone. Traditional rulers must be fully engaged to support our efforts.”
Monguno explained that the meeting, which was virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, took short presentations from Niger, Taraba, Oyo, Plateau, Imo and Akwa-Ibom SSGs, who shared experiences from their states.
