FG needs modern techniques to fight insecurity– Garba Pwul

Federal Government need to apply modern-day techniques, use more intelligence and be proactive rather than reactive in order to deal with the myriad of security challenges facing Plateau State and Nigeria at large, says a legal expert, Chief Garba Pwul (SAN).

He also said it is the Federal Government that has the authority to deal with insecurity and not the state government.

Chief Pwul said this while speaking with a team of journalists in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

He said, “So it cannot be a matter for a state to tackle alone. It is the Federal government that has the coercive authority to deal with security issues. But it appears to me that no matter how well-intentioned the Federal Government is, the approach is still analogue.”

While alluding to the recent attack on a Custodial Centre in Jos, the Plateau guber aspirant under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) said the absence of modern gadgets made it possible for the invaders to succeed.

According to him, “We must go beyond the analogue and go digital and that is why even in the prison yard, people could come that close, attack and enter. Being digital must mean having cameras that can see very far.

“More attention should be put on intelligence, not being reactionary. If you know it is coming from suspected Fulani herdsmen, then you should be able to recruit Fulani in the SSS and police. They know that they are there to give information. When they are planning to attack, you would get information and catch them at the time of planning.

“These so-called herdsmen, Boko Haram; incidentally they are not an organised government but they have intelligence information. The military is planning to attack them, they get to know ahead of time and ambush them.

“So if they are unsophisticated, poorly financed and educated, why can’t we that have an organized government with the training and resources not have the intelligence.

“Intelligence is the only way that you can be proactive and nip the attackers in the bud”, he maintained.

“Intelligence would make you have the information and places that are vulnerable would be prepared, either to avoid the attackers or alert the security operatives.

“As long as we allow it to happen and say the president has condemned the attack in the village, (that’s the new language), the governor has condemned; well if I enjoy it and they condemn with their words only, why won’t I benefit from it because there is no consequence on me. So the federal government must improve and apply modern-day techniques to fight modern-day crimes,” Pwul stressed.

Starting in 2011, the insecurity left from the conflict between the Fulani and Hausa ethnic groups and quickly allowed other criminal and jihadist elements to form in the region.