Bombings: Experts fault intelligence management

Security experts on Monday in Lagos said the Nigeria Police authorities had little blame on the spate of bombings in the country. They said, rather, the gathering and management of intelligence should be looked into.

Security experts on Monday in Lagos said the Nigeria Police authorities had little blame on the spate of bombings in the country. They said, rather, the gathering and management of intelligence should be looked into.

The experts, Patrick Agbambu and Simon Udie, pointed out that security issues in the country were bigger than one person or agency. They added that the security system was faulty, stressing the need for it to be overhauled.

Agbambu and Udie spoke at a press briefing organised by Security Watch Africa, where it was revealed that The Gambia would host the 2011 edition of Security Watch Africa award. According to Agbambu, the Nigeria Police Force is a law enforcement agency, which does not attach much significance to intelligence gathering.

He said, “These bombings were premeditated and it is only when they are carried out that the police will swing into action. Focus should be on intelligence gathering organisations like State Security Service, Defence Intelligence Agency, National Intelligence Agency and Military Intelligence among others on what they have done with the intelligence they have.

“The reality is that there are lots of rivalries among these agencies which are affecting security operation. This is what we want to address in October 13 before the award. The security challenge in Nigeria and indeed Africa is taking an alarming dimension and there is need to checkmate the trend for proper development to take place.”

Udie, however, observed that governments in the continent needed to do more to tackle security challenge.

“There is need to get the youths off the street by creating more jobs and engaging them in other ways,” he said.

The experts also said governments across Africa must encourage and boost the security consciousness of their citizens and encourage organisations to complement governments’ efforts to secure their countries.