Ondo South Senator, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim gives frank perspective on Security.
By Steve Ovirih
There is no gainsaying the fact that Nigeria is in the throes of a major security challenge. In the time past, these challenges to the security architecture of the nation was limited to the core north ravaged by a massive tempo of terrorist attacks. Right from the days of the Jonathan Presidency and even before his administration , the North East had almost been brought to her knees as a result of Boko Haram invasion to towns , villages, schools , mosques and churches while the daredevil Fulani herders had ‘colonized’ villages, unleashing a spree of unrestrained killing unchallenged either by state or federal forces. While federal forces had made effort to combat terrorism in the North under the Jonathan Presidency, they were obviously overwhelmed as statistics showed back to back invasions of communities where school children were carted away like some weak spoils of war with some of these school children still in the den of the terrorists over time and had grown up to become wives and lieutenants. Such was the threat of security to the Nigerian federating units up North to the extent that some foreign government had issued stern travel advisory to their Nationals in Nigeria to be wary of traveling to axis and corridors along the North East . It was that bad!
The stark reality staring the People of Southern Nigeria in the face is that threat to life and property by criminal elements masquerading as herders and terrorizing the locals seemed to have shown up in villages and communities down South.
It will be recalled that on the floor of The Senate, the Senator representing Edo North and former Governor of Edo State , while raising a motion of urgent national importance lamented that Edo State Government cannot assess a certain local government due to security threat. One must not forget that this motion of public importance was raised prior to the unfortunate killing of the Uromi 16, another matter of urgent importance that has quaked public peace in Edo and the north lately because of the threat of reprisals , God forbid!
In another development that bore credence to the overwhelming rate at which national security is being threatened, one out of so many indications, the Secretary to the Plateau State Govt, Samuel Jatau on Sunday April 6th, 2025 cried out that he just had a taste of what communities in the state have been facing in the hands of terrorists who stage indiscriminate attacks. What happened? His convoy was ambushed by terrorists in Bokkos Local Govt Area of Plateau State and he narrowly escaped death as his convoy were massively touched by the terrorists. If the no 3 man in Plateau State can be so easily ambushed, what is the lot of the locals? Not quite a week ago, former DG NYSC , Gen.Tsiga was released from the scary den of ‘terrorists as kidnappers,’ no doubt million upon millions changed hands as ransom.
Known for his frank and unbiased take on issues of national interest, the Ondo South Senator, Distinguished Senator (Dr.) Jimoh Ibrahim , a war studies expert has hammered on the need for Federal and State Government to rework the narrative on national security. In his remark on the floor of The Red Chamber while contributing to the issue of national security, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim thundered, “life is priceless.Protection of life and property , Mr. Senate President , is a constitutional matter. The present government is investing heavily in security. In the last budget , about 300 billion Naira was set aside by the federal government for the Armed forces to protect lives and property and I think Federal Government is doing its best.”
Senator Jimoh Ibrahim is however motivated by the issues of cracks in security across states of the federation to emphasize thus, “state government must come up with their own thesis on security.” For the Distinguished Senator, who doesn’t hide his feelings, he queried, “what’s the thesis for security by the State Governors?” He noted that it is worrisome and disappointing that federating units have not formulated any policy action to protect lives and properties, noting that it is not just enough to spend millions to buy vehicles.
“There is need for modern technological approach about security.The States must invest in security ; it will be more proactive to see states coming up with their own measures towards protection of lives and properties just like Federal Govt and Service chiefs are seen to be doing.”
Senator Jimoh Ibrahim urged the Senate President to consider convoking a national conference on security noting that based on observation “individuals and corporate organizations are not even investing in their own respective security. If a man collects a salary of 10 million Naira in a month, he should logically invest a million Naira on his personal security , that is if such person understands how serious a priority that security is, ” Senator Jimoh Ibrahim charged, poking the conscience of corporate organizations , state Governors and individual members of the public even as he noted that there is a high level of over dependence on Federal Government as regards provision of security.
Senator Jimoh Ibrahim balanced his take on national security by vehemently asserting that security is both multifarious and multi dimensional , stressing the fact that the recurrence of banditry across states of Nigeria particularly states where such occurrence was alien is enough indication that there is need for State Governors to embrace technology in their bid to resolve security threat.
Sounding personally bordered by what he termed lackluster approach of most states to security issue, the Ondo South Senator said, “if states are not doing enough this Senate, Mr. Senate President, must give the states the necessary knowledge -intervention on security.
“Most Governors don’t have provision for security whereas certain portion of the monthly allocation goes into the security subhead. This fund is not about personal security. We should ask ourselves security for who? For what? At where?” Senator Jimoh Ibrahim’s rhetoric interrogates what State Governors do with the sub head on security that accrues to them , indicating that each state Chief Executive needs to evolve a concerted policy document on securing their states from internal and external aggression. “It will interest you to note that there are simple ‘APPs’ on the phone that can indicate security threat within 1 mile kilometer radius. If I am in a place and the App on my phone tells me the number of guns within a mile radius is 100 guns I already know there is security threat. Why should there be hundred guns?
“So you see individuals, state governments, corporate organizations should all see security as a collective effort rather than pushing such huge responsibility solely to Federal Government and the armed forces. What is wrong if 1 percent of banks’ gains is committed to seeking a secure corporate environment,” Senator Jimoh Ibrahim queried?
The truth remains that poor management of security particularly as it bothers on how states in the South west are being infiltrated by terrorist cells, who end up sacking farmers from their farm lands and who have turned the forests and farm reserves to holding cells where victims are held while they await ransom payments is enough to agitate the minds of everyone who understands that no business thrives where security is put in abeyance. If kidnappers take advantage of telephony communication to conduct their business and use techy coordinates to move away from prying eyes, government across boards must wake up with more commitment to the highest point of the social contract in democracy, which is protection of lives and properties.
Obviously, this is the charge of Senator Jimoh Ibrahim to ‘Nigerians’ who have the collective trust of Nigerians as Chef Security Officers in their respective states.