A front line practitioner in Nigeria’s private security sector, Dr. Ona Ekhomu on Tuesday reminded officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force that nothing works in any society without security in place and has therefore enjoined them to return fully back to their beats after the ENDSARS protest.
The security chieftain spoke in similar vein with the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 2 Lagos, Iliyasu Ahmed. Both of them made their position known during a motivational workshop and community policing for quality service delivery held at Zone 2 Headquarters, Onikan Lagos.
In his paper titled #EndSARS Mass Action and The Governance of Internal Security in Lagos, Ekhomu who is the founder and National President of the Association of Industrial Security & Safety Operators of Nigeria (AISSON) pointed out that the large scale destruction and looting in the aftermath of the protest which initially began on a peaceful note was not targeted at the police agency but based on the obvious fact that the attacks were specifically targeted on the Federal Government of Nigeria.
According to him, the hoodlums attacked the police as an observable and exploitable arm of government, stressing that the police only bore the brunt of governance issues ranging from the poor remuneration of police, the unemployment of youths, hunger in the land, poverty, anger, social inequality all of which are not under the control of the police as agency of government.
According to him, “it was convenient for the hoodlums to attack the police as the nearest representative of government.”
The AISSON boss was though not justifying the aggression on the police, he however made it clear that when any one angry, there is always the tendency to lash out at anything close by.”
He described it as “psychological compensational mechanism after which they feel better.”
As people statutorily charged with the responsibility of the nation’s internal security, Ekhomu pleaded with the police to go back to work and make our communities safe, emphasising that “without security nothing works.”
He acknowledged the overtures made so far by various state governments towards assisting families of police personnel killed or critically injured during the violent attack.
Speaking at the event which was hosted by his office, AIG Iliyasu Ahmed advised officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force to put the past behind them in the spirit of nationhood and work assiduously to correct the negative perception against police personnel and policing.
Said he: “We must have a change of attitude to our duty and put the people as the centre piece of our policing.”
The AIG emphasised that policing strategy should be people centred, satisfactory to the people and good enough to remove the fear and uncertainty in the minds of the people anytime they have contact with the people.
He also noted that policing can be done in a manner that does the least harms and even prevent violence. The police boss also stressed that the streets should not be deserted by security agents adding that police must be available to respond to calls or request for assistance regardless of status or background, ensure accessibility and high visibility.
In the light of Iliyasu Ahmed’s dedication in serving Nigeria over the years as an officer of the Nigeria Police Force, Dr. Ekhomu on behalf of AISSON conferred a fellowship of the association on the AIG as part of the highlights of the well attended workshop.
Apart from senior police officers who were present at the occasion, the Managing Director of Transworld Security Limited, Mrs. Victoria Ekhomu was also in attendance.
https://any.peopleandpowermag.com/endsars-nothing-works-in-any-society-without-security-says-ekhomu/
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