…say Nig rated second in Africa and fifth worldwide in crime index
Critical stakeholders on Tuesday in Abuja agreed that to effectively checkmate organised crime in Nigeria there’s need to quickly adopt both the kinetic and non kinetic approach to achieve success.
Speaking at a one-day international conference put together by Igbinedion University, Okada, Buratai Centre for Contemporary Security Affairs and other partnering agencies with the theme: ‘Organised Crime Network as Emergent Threats to National Security’ at Army Resource center, security experts collectively agreed only the kinetic approach which is 20percent in most cases is not enough to combat organised crime.
The international confab which was attended by ex-COAS, Lt Gen Abdulrahman Dambazau, Retd, another ex-COAS, Gen TY Buratai, all serving Service Chiefs, NSA former military top brass, the diplomatic corps and other critical stakeholders.
The Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Major General TA Lagbaja who was represented clearly stated in his goodwill message that the kinetic approach alone can no longer combat organised crime as the collaboration of community leaders, community dwellers and traditional institutions are needed to combat it and this part is the non kinetic approach.
He explained that “organised crime is like a wild fire and what can easily cage it is the non kinetic approach using community leaders, community dwellers, intelligence tools to gather credible information on how to checkmate organised crime.
“Kinetic approach is just 20percent while non kinetic is 80percent and the implication here is that you need people to allow the non kinetic approach to succeed.
“To this end, you need community leaders, people in the axis to achieve results particularly in the Niger Delta you cannot stop crude oil siphoning without the people assisting you.
In his brief submission, IUO Chancellor, Professor Sheikh Ahmad Abdullahi said” I expect this conference to provide a blueprint to help curb organised crime in Nigeria and by extension Africa and worldwide.
“Before now the rate of crime was recorded arithmetically but now it is in geometric form so we need to think of the kinetic theory to use in combating organised crime.
“To checkmate the emerging threat we need to be ready to find ways and means to dislodge the threat be it organised or otherwise.
Former COAS and ex-minister of Interior, Lt Gen Abdulrahman Dambazau in his goodwill and also chaired the conference went down memory lane to the days 419, Boko Haram, the Italian Mafia and the history of organised crime.
The Keynote speaker, Chairman, National Police Commission, NPC and ex-IGP, Dr Solomon Arase who was represented by Prof Omorege Edobar gave a vivid picture of how organised crime started in Nigeria and on how to effectively combat it.
Arase in his presentation said, 419 of the early 1990s, Money Laundering,Ponzi Schemes are products of induced organised crime bearing semblance of Boko Haram in 2007-2009 which spread across North East, the Niger Delta militancy and the banditry in the North West.
