Femi Falana, human rights lawyer,
says government has repeatedly proven that it cannot secure the lives and
property of its citizens.
Falana, who spoke when he
featured on Sunrise Daily, a programme on Channels Television, blamed
politicians for the spate of killings and kidnappings across the country.
He said it has become a norm for
insecurity to increase after elections, alleging that thugs abandoned by
politicians have taken to criminal activities to cater for themselves.
“The increase in the wave of
killings and kidnappings and banditry in recent times has to do with the just
concluded elections. The thugs that were armed by politicians were not
disarmed,” Falana said.
“They were very busy during the
elections attacking people and killing political opponents now they are back in
business. Nothing was done to disarm them after the elections. They have been
dumped by politicians and they have to look for means of survival of livelihood
and that is why we are witnessing this increase.
“What we are witnessing is a
reign of impunity. It is a regular phenomenon. Once an election has just been
concluded, you have phenomenal increase in violence all over the country.
“The Nigerian state has
collapsed. The Nigerian state has proven over and over again incapable to
guarantee the security of lives and property.”
Falana said the problem is not
with the architecture of security but the social dimension of crime control,
citing unemployment and underemployment as examples.
He also accused the national
assembly of trivialising the issues of insecurity, saying while the
constitution allows for just one police force, the national assembly and the
presidency can constitute an agency and empower it to bear arms.
He asked governors to quit
complaining and head to the president to demand a police force to guide their
states if they would not be allowed state police.
“With profound respect, the
members of the National Assembly are toying with the security of our country,”
he said.
“How can the Senate in this stage
and time be passing resolution asking for state police? Or the House of
Representatives requesting the President to come and address the members of the
National Assembly on the security situation in the country.
“Why have they not moved the
motion for the creation of state police? We have to be very innovative in the
business of securing the country. We can’t just throw up our hands in
helplessness.”
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