Stepping Up

Policy initiatives from the southern part of the country continue to trail the suspension of the Ruga settlement plan of the federal government. Southeast governor’s meeting on Sunday has resolved to establish forest guards in the zone, a zonal intelligence gathering centre, key into the community policing initiative of the federal government, and pull resources for farmers and investors ready to go into crop production and livestock farming as permitted by the soil in the region. Apparently, the forest guard’s initiative is to regulate the southward movement of cattle herders and the attendant conflict it is engendering.

While community policing seems to be a resourceful way of mitigating the spate of violence across the country, it should not be targeted at specific groups. The forest guard’s initiative, if objectively and effectively utilised should help in curtailing the activities of kidnappers operating in the forests. It will also reduce the farmers-herders clashes that repeatedly occurs in the bushes. Pipeline vandalism has decimated the country’s revenue sources for several years. Effective community policing will help to ensure a community-based surveillance system for protecting critical oil and gas facilities. It will also open up employment for the teaming number of youths who are susceptible to criminalities due to unemployment.

However cheesy these initiatives might be, maximum caution is required. Forest guards might appear to be the security solution to crimes perpetuated in the forests, but if the guards are not properly handled, they might become security threats themselves. In light of this, there should be an efficient mechanism for monitoring and evaluating the activities of the forest guards to ensure they are not enablers of insecurity. The zonal security monitoring and intelligence gathering unit, in order to be effective should be keyed into the national security architecture. The forest guards should be uniform across the states, with a multi-layered structure that collectively regulates and coordinates its activities for maintenance of security in the region.

State governments in the Southeast region should walk the talk. This resolution should be followed religiously and implemented, as it will go a long way in mitigating insecurity in the region. It can also be a model for other regions to copy and contextualise in accordance with practices obtainable in those zones.