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Insecurity: Senate Urges Synergy Among Security Agencies
President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, has urged the security agencies to partner and collaborate among themselves, especially in the sharing of intelligence.
Lawan gave the advice, yesterday, when he received in audience, Course 14 Participants from the National Institute for Security Studies, led by the Commandant, Mr. Ayodele Saheed Adeleke.
The Senate President in his welcome address underscored the importance of intelligence gathering towards guaranteeing the security of lives and property.
Lawan urged the participants to take their training in intelligence gathering seriously, and appealed to security agencies in the country to adopt an approach that encourages collaboration in intelligence sharing and coordination.
“We need you to be well trained, so that you would help in the fight against all the numerous challenges that we face today, by providing the necessary and relevant information in time for us to nip in the bud, or at least, reduce the extent of damage.
“And, I will take this opportunity also, to appeal to the various security agencies to always partner, collaborate and coordinate their activities.
“Those in charge of intelligence, please, it is mandatory that when you gather intelligence, you pass the intelligence to the other agencies that need them to operate properly, otherwise, that is not of any use if that agency cannot have access to them.
“For a long time, we have been complaining about coordination and partnership between the various security agencies. It is necessary that we are able to achieve that,” he said.
According to him, the efficient gathering of information amounts to effective intelligence needed to curb insecurity across parts of the country from activities such as banditry, kidnapping, insurgency, and militancy.
He said, “The place of intelligence in security is so paramount, in fact, in many cases, intelligence helps to curb potential and devastatingly dangerous attacks against citizens.
“In countries where there is so much success in fighting insecurity, the position of intelligence is so secured and well supported, and, therefore, functions almost optimally by providing the kind of information that is required to nip in the bud potential damages and massacres.”
Lawan, in his assessment of the security in the situation in the North-East part of the country, noted that insurgency had been drastically curtailed by the intervention of the military.
He, therefore, pledged the support of the National Assembly to the military in sustaining the fight against insurgency North-East, and curbing the menace of banditry, kidnapping and militancy in other states of the federation.
“We all know that our country, today, is challenged seriously by insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, militancy and even cybercrime.
“On insurgency, we can say we did very well from 2015 to date, by curbing and curtailing the insurgency in the country, because before 2015, our situation was dire in the North-East.
“In the last two to three months, personally, I’ve observed serious improvement in our war against insurgency in the North-East, and we are very prayerful and hopeful to be supportive to ensure that the new service chiefs get every possible support from us, so that they are able to continue with their success and trajectory in the fight against insurgency in the North-East, ditto the fight against banditry, kidnapping, and of course, militancy,” Lawan said.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.