Insecurity: Kwara govt sets up committee to curtail security breaches

Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State has announced a cabinet-level security committee to develop short- and long-term strategies aimed at preventing further security breaches.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, said the committee will be chaired by the Deputy Governor, Mr. Kayode Alabi, while Mrs. Olufunke Mercy Shittu, PhD, from the Office of the Head of Service, will serve as secretary.

Other members include the Special Adviser on Security Matters, Brigadier General Saliu Tunde Bello (rtd); Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Community Development, Abdullahi Bata; Senior Special Assistant on Security, Alhaji Muhyideen Aliu; Special Assistant on Security, Alhaji Moshood Gobir; and one local government chairman from each of the three senatorial districts.

The committee will engage key stakeholders, including traditional rulers, to develop a security strategy tailored to Kwara State.

“The committee will submit its report to the Governor within four weeks for further considerations and actions. Its recommendations are to further enrich existing understanding of the nationwide security situations from local perspectives,” the statement added.

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Meanwhile, amid rising insecurity across the country, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Wahab Egbewole (SAN), has urged the United States to support Nigeria with technology and equipment to combat insurgency, rather than issue threats of invasion.

Speaking with journalists on Tuesday as part of activities marking the university’s 50th anniversary, Egbewole stressed that Nigeria’s sovereignty must not be compromised in international collaborations on security, saying such interference would violate international law.

He said:
“While partnership with world powers is welcome in defeating the monsters of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of insecurity ravaging Nigeria, to which Nigerians, regardless of sectional or sectarian orientations, are victims and casualties, it is another thing entirely for the sovereignty of Nigeria to be compromised, a violation of international law. It is in this regard that I urge the American government to assist the Nigerian government with technology and equipment, both software and hardware to defeat the monsters that make our lives ‘nasty, brutish and short’, as philosopher Thomas Hobbes would describe the ‘state of nature’ that appears to be our lot at this critical time.

“Anything other than that could create ‘The Cobra Effect’, which should be avoided…”

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He went on to explain the historical origin of the Cobra Effect, warning against unintended consequences of misguided interventions.

Egbewole also called for national unity in confronting insecurity, urging Nigerians to rise above ethnic, religious, and political divides. He cited a famous remark by former Senate President Dr. Chuba Okadigbo:
“If you are emotionally attached to your tribe, religion or political leaning to the point that truth and justice become secondary considerations, your education is useless…”

The Vice Chancellor emphasised that Nigerians must not be “liabilities to Nigeria” and should reject all forms of extremism.

Speaking on the institution’s long-term vision, he said that in the next 50 years, the University of Ilorin aims to be known for:

• Academic stability

• Innovative thinking

• Artificial intelligence–driven knowledge

• Impactful research

• Exploration of new academic fields

• Commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals in teaching, research, and community service

• Improved global ranking

• A disciplined and well-equipped workforce

• Full automation of all administrative processes

• Producing well-rounded students with 21st-century skill sets

• NIGERIAN TRIBUNE