From Tony Osauzo, Benin
President, Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Rev. Stephen Panya, has called for the restructuring of the country’s security system to enable state governors have control over security agencies in their domain.
He made the call in Benin City during the installation of some district executive members and commissioning of newly built hostel and district secretariat for the Edo/Delta District of the church weekend saying allowing governors to take charge would lead to quick response to security challenges like kidnappings, banditry, killings and other violent crimes in their states.
The cleric said the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari has failed completely in providing security for the country, lamenting that ECWA Church has been a major victim of attacks in the middle belt and northern part of Nigeria.
“The level of deterioration of security in this country has reached a stage that it is very clear that the Federal Government has failed, it has failed completely under the leadership of President Muhamadu Buhari, so there is need for a restructuring of this nation, especially in the area of security.
“I think states need to have more direct control and command of security apparatus. Some states have already taken the initiative by setting up their security networks like in the South East where we have the Amotekun. I think it is even better to constitutionally allow states to have their own security apparatus, be it state police or any other establishment, so that the governors who are the chief security officers of their states will be able to take timely action in order to arrest crisis and other security issues bedevilling their states. As of now, they are incapacitated because even though the commissioner of police and commanders of armies and other security agencies are resident in the states, they don’t take orders from the state governors, they take orders from the federal level and this is the reason why we are having continual security deterioration,” he said.
On attacks on churches, it said: “ECWA is among the foremost churches in the line of persecution of Christians in this country. A lot of our churches have been destroyed and burnt; we lost a lot of members in the Fulani Jihadists, herdsmen attacks in Southern Kaduna in particular, but also in what is taking place in Shiroro now, so we have borne the brunt of the attacks that is taking place on the Middle Belt and northern part of the country.”