The Young Progressives Party on Monday called on the Federal Government to identify, arrest and prosecute individuals and organisations financing terrorism, insisting that insecurity will persist unless the sponsors of violent groups are brought to justice.
The party also renewed its support for establishing state police, arguing that decentralised policing would strengthen local security responses and help tackle the country’s worsening security challenges.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, YPP National Chairman, Bishop Amakiri, faulted successive administrations for failing to effectively confront insecurity, saying the current government had not demonstrated sufficient political will to end terrorism and insurgency.
Amakiri lamented that the continuous rehabilitation and reintegration of repentant terrorists under Operation Safe Corridor, while victims continue to suffer in Internally Displaced Persons camps, have failed to inspire public confidence.
He also raised concerns that despite an estimated N25tn spent on defence and security over the past decade, the huge expenditure had not translated into improved welfare for military personnel or a significant reduction in the activities of terrorists and insurgents.
He said, “The oxygen sustaining terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria remains the network of individuals and organisations that fund these criminal enterprises.
“Despite repeated revelations and intelligence reports, including efforts by foreign governments to expose such individuals, the government has failed to demonstrate the political will necessary to identify, prosecute and punish those responsible.”
The YPP chairman further cited the continued captivity of abducted students and teachers in Oyo and Borno states nearly a month after their abduction as evidence of what he described as the government’s lack of urgency in addressing insecurity.
He urged the Federal Government to identify, arrest and swiftly prosecute terror financiers, while calling on the National Assembly to subject defence spending to stricter oversight and accountability.
Amakiri also demanded a comprehensive investigation into past defence expenditures to ensure that anyone found to have misappropriated security funds is brought to justice.
“We urge the Federal Government to eliminate the oxygen sustaining terrorism and insurgency. Terrorism financiers must be identified, arrested, prosecuted speedily and subjected to the full weight of the law.
“We also urge the National Assembly to subject Defence spending to strict oversight and accountability. Past defence expenditures should be comprehensively investigated to ensure that those responsible for misappropriation of funds are brought to justice.
“Continuous training and retraining of military personnel and other security agencies in modern counter-terrorism operations should become a national priority. Security chiefs who consistently fail to meet performance expectations should be replaced,” he urged.
On local policing, the YPP chairman said the time had come for Nigeria to establish state police formations, noting that while the initiative may not completely solve the country’s security challenges, it would significantly improve local security responses.
Amakiri, however, urged lawmakers to incorporate adequate safeguards in any enabling legislation to prevent abuse by state governments.
He said, “The time has come for the establishment of State Police. While State Police alone may not solve all security challenges, it will significantly enhance local security responses.
“However, appropriate safeguards must be included in any enabling legislation to prevent abuse by state governments.
“We owe future generations a duty to build a nation where security is guaranteed, justice prevails, public resources are protected, and every citizen has the opportunity to live a life of dignity and prosperity.”
The YPP’s appeal comes barely four days after President Bola Tinubu vowed that no mercy would be shown to terrorists and their sponsors.
In his Democracy Day address on Thursday, Tinubu issued an ultimatum to bandits, kidnappers and sponsors of terrorism to surrender or face the full force of the law.
The President disclosed that over 13,000 terrorists had been neutralised in the past year alone.
Tinubu also stated that terror-related deaths had declined by 81 per cent since 2015, although he acknowledged that the continued captivity of schoolchildren abducted in Oyo and Borno states cast a shadow over this year’s Democracy Day celebrations.
Last week, the National Assembly also advanced efforts to establish state police as both chambers moved to amend the 1999 Constitution to permit decentralised policing.
The proposed legislation seeks to transfer policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, thereby empowering states to establish and control their own police formations.
To achieve this, the bill proposes amendments to Sections 197, 214 and 215 of the Constitution, among others.
The Senate has already passed the bill for second reading, marking another step in the legislature’s efforts to address the country’s persistent security challenges.
