— says there is a mole within the system and people benefiting from it
CHIGOZIE AMADI
The Methodist Arch – Bishop of Ebonyi state, Most Rev. Dr Chikwendu Ogan Igwe has lamented that despite the heavy funding expended on the security sector by government at various levels, insecurity has continued to rise unabated in the country.
He said that for the military or any other security agents to be ambushed suggests that there is a mole within the system and urged the security apparatus to examine itself.
The Arch Bishop made this known while interacting with newsmen on the state of the nation in his office at Methodist Church, Abakaliki, Ebonyi state.
He called for a synergy in the area of information sharing between the security agencies and the citizens, adding that the security agencies need correct information to operate.
“If you look into the state of insecurity and some of the things you read in the papers, the money that have been spent, one would expect that a lot would have been achieved.
“If you match the money spent on insecurity, you see that it’s too much. And I feel that some people are benefiting from the money spent on insecurity in the country.
“This insecurity has lasted for years, and every day you hear that the military has been ambushed, it raises the concern that the security apparatus needs to look at itself.
“For them to be ambushed, that means there must be moles within the system. There must be sabotage. If we are going to address insecurity, it has to be holistic.
“The security agencies in the country need to checkmate themselves and their handling of information. You know that in Nigeria, people find it difficult to volunteer information because they don’t feel safe.
The police or the military can’t work without the military intelligence, and so, security agencies need to build a kind of strong synergy both between the citizens and the security apparatus. The security agencies need to trust themselves and build up a good relationship with the citizens to enable them get a credible information from them.
Arch – Bishop Chikwendu also stressed the need for the welfare of the security agents to be looked into and improved upon accordingly to boost the morale of those doing the job.
“When we talk about the welfare of the Nigerian citizens, we should as well, talk about the welfare of the security people, because it is very critical.
“The security agents have signed to lay down their lives for the safety of the nation. But then, we should as well show some level of care, by ensuring that the welfare and the welfare of their family members are guaranteed.
“If one is at the war front, and you are not sure that your family is being taken care of, or should any thing happen to you, you are not sure, your family will be provided for, you can’t do much.
And so, the welfare of the Nigerian citizens is very critical in guaranteeing security, but the welfare of the military is very critical in ensuring security. Assuming someone has access to weapons/ arms and he or she is not well fed and well paid, he or she can sell those weapons in order to make money.
