Terrorism: Okiro Advocates Civil Security Force

Chairman of Police Service Commission (PSC), Mike Mbama Okiro has advocated for an establishment of a Civil Security Force (CSF) to complement operations of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), at the grassroots level. The former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) believes that the Civil Security Force which should be an arm and under the supervision of the police, will immensely curtail terrorism and other criminal activities at grassroots (village) level. Okiro made the call recently at the Corporate Council on Africa in Washington, United States of America (USA) with members of the Corporate Council. They included Nigerians in diaspora who invited him to deliver a lecture during a round table discussion on Civil Security in Nigeria. Citing the Civilian JTF in Borno State, he noted that “the positive impact of the youth civilian volunteer group in Borno State justifies such reasoning.” Okiro based his belief on the principles of the American Homeland Security, stressing that the operation of the CSF should be in line with Bahama and Sri-Lanka models, which are under the command of the police. He noted that after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack, the United States under former President Bush, set up the Homeland security, and designed a National Strategy for combating terrorism – a strategy that seeks to defeat terrorist organizations, deny terrorist sponsors, diminish the causes of terrorism, and defend the United States. This strategy made provision for a role for the American Public/Civil Security – based on the principles of shared responsibility and partnership with the Congress, state and local governments, the private sector and the American people,” he explained. He recalled that available records have it that due to terrorist attacks on villages during the outbreak of civil war in Sri-Lanka, the villagers organized themselves and formed a security group to protect themselves. “They were known as Home Guards; recognized and armed by government. Government created the Home Guard Service and issued them uniforms and weapons and they were under the Command of the local Sri – Lankan Police Units. In 2006, they were renamed the Civil Security Force, following the establishment of the Department of Civil Security, which was published as a Gazette,” he explained. He stressed that “it is important to note that these patriotic Sri-Lankans were volunteers (male and female), deployed in their home towns and villages, to protect the civilian population from terrorist attack.” He told the gathering that “Nigeria is a veritable haven for investment,” assuring that “the government of Nigeria fully aware that there cannot be any meaningful socio-economic development without adequate security is determined to take deliberate and far reaching measures aimed at enhancing human security as a prelude to civil security.” The PSC Chairman disclosed that he has three policies he wants to implement to enhance the performance of the Nigeria Police Force to be people police. He said they include, crime prevention and control, along the United Nations guidelines which specifically emphasizes on planned police/public partnership programmes, such as Police Community Relations Committee PCRC); police/private security guards partnership as well as mass public enlightenment on the need for every citizen to be security conscious and contribute to collective community security.