From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has condemned, in strong terms, multiple attacks on security agencies, installations and infrastructure in recent weeks, describing those behind the attacks as enemies of the state.
It warned that the massive attacks and looting of armouries signals danger to the nation.
In a statement by Executive Director, CISLAC, and Head Transparency International in Nigeria, Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani, while condoling with all security agencies who lost their personnel, particularly those attacked by anonymous gunmen and those combating criminalities across the country, noted that the pattern of the attacks suggests that they were undertaken by criminals who are bent on drifting the country to the cliff.
He called for proper responses from law enforcement agencies to ensure the security of lives and properties.
He said: “Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre stands with the entire security agencies across the country, and expresses deep sadness over those whose lives have suffered fatalities in the line of duty. When a government project is vandalised, those doing so are enemies of the people, because when you incarcerate someone in prison, normally the due process would have been followed. This is in the public’s interest and, therefore, anyone who undertakes the release of prisoners or burn correctional centres, otherwise known as prison, is the number one enemy of the people.”
Rafsanjani wondered why there is no legislation to check proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) despite the fact that 70% of the eight million weapons find their way into the country.
He said Nigerian security agencies must improve their intelligence-gathering capabilities, while Nigerian police force must rise to the occasion and stop the attacks on its personnel and infrastructure.
“There is a need to establish and strengthen institutional frameworks for the control of elicit SALWs proliferation to ensure an effective, coordinated and consistent implementation of arms control programmes in the country,” he said.