ONSA moves to dismantle illegal security outfits
A report conducted by Global Rights, in collaboration with a coalition of 84 civil society organisations, has revealed that 4,416 persons have been killed and 4,234 abducted across the country in the first year of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Meanwhile, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has ordered security agencies to immediately dismantle illegal security agencies bearing arms and masquerading as law enforcement agents across the country.
ONSA spokesman, Zakari Mijinyawa, made the disclosure, yesterday, in Abuja.The report released, yesterday, in Abuja, revealed that the figure was from the data collated between the National Day of Mourning on May 28, 2023 and this year’s commemoration.
According to researchers, the figure does not include the regular crimes of armed robbery and other forms of crimes within that range. The coalition that signed the report includes Accountability Lab, CLEEN Foundation, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Budget, Centre LSD, Centre for Social Justice, Conscience for Human Rights Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), Policy Alert, Falana and Falana Chambers, Women in Mining, The Kukah Centre, among others.
The North Central region, the report revealed, accounted for the highest number of fatalities with at least 1,600 lives claimed in terror pillages, communal clashes and herdsmen attacks, closely followed by the North West where at least 1,136 persons were killed, particularly in Maradun Local council of Zamfara State that endured at least five terror attacks.
It further revealed that 904 people were killed in the North East by Boko Haram and Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) activities in Borno, with pockets of incidents in Yobe and Adamawa states, adding that an upsurge in insurgent group clashes claimed about 80 Boko Haram lives.
The report also noted that the South East recorded the highest number of killings in the southern part of the country with at least 344 lives lost especially in Imo and Anambra states as a result of communal clashes, secessionist activities, cult gangs among others
In the South-South, banditry claimed at least 272 lives, while in the South West, 160 persons were killed in cult clashes, herdsmen militia and isolated attacks.
They also noted the extra-judicial killings by security agencies claimed 274 lives, particularly the 160 killed in accidental airstrikes in Kaduna and Zamfara.
Urging the government to act humanely towards Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) across the country and communities affected by insecurity, the groups noted the need to prioritise better welfare services, including psychological support, for security personnel, who daily deal with the trauma of being on the frontline.
ACCORDING to Mijinyawa, in 2021, ONSA directed the dismantling of illegal security outfits involved in extorting and harassing Nigerians. The public was specifically cautioned about an illegal group known as the National Task Force on Prohibition of Illegal, Importation/Smuggling of Arms, Ammunition and Light Weapons (NATFORCE).
He said, “Over the past three years, law enforcement agencies have acted against individuals operating these illegal outfits. Some of these individuals have been arrested and are being prosecuted.
“Despite these efforts, some members of the public, including key stakeholders in both the public and private sectors, have fallen victim to the fraudulent activities of NATFORCE, which was recently rebranded as National Commission for the Co-ordination and Control of the Proliferation of Small Arms, Ammunitions and Light Weapons (NATCOM), despite clear directives to dismantle all illegal security outfits.”
Reminding the public that NATFORCE and NATCOM were not part of Nigeria’s security architecture and have no affiliation with any official security agency, he added: “These outfits are not backed by federal law, lack the authority to recruit and are not approved to operate as security organisations.
“We advise state governments, international organisations, the private sector and other stakeholders to remain vigilant about the activities of illegal security outfits operating under any name or form. We encourage close collaboration with the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) to address concerns around the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.”
ONSA ordered law enforcement agencies to continue arresting and prosecuting individuals and groups that fraudulently present themselves to the public as security forces.
