Arise News anchor Rufai Oseni has alleged that Nigeria’s persistent insecurity is driven by deep-seated complicity within the government and elite class rather than a lack of resources.
Speaking on Wednesday during Arise Television’s ‘Morning Show’, Rufai stated that Nigeria is not yet ready to stop the kidnapping, banditry and terrorism confronting the nation.
According to him, an increased presence of security operatives or the implementation of state police will not solve the problem if security officials and state actors are actively collaborating with criminals.
He cited the attack in Woro, Kwara State, where bandits killed innocent Nigerians after residents had informed security authorities of a threat. He also highlighted instances where state governments had participated in photo opportunities with bandits.
“Are the people perpetrating this insecurity far from us in society? No, they are not far from us. There have been many people that are in and around the government being linked to this level of insecurity, and they are walking free today, and they are part of the elite class.
“Nigeria is not ready to end insecurity. The day any Nigerian government is ready to end insecurity, it will end. Are we ready to end it? I don’t think so because there’s way too much complicity in the ecosystem.
“Why are we deceiving ourselves? But you see, the problem with Nigerians is when you tell them the truth, they get alarmed. We were talking about locals reporting to security authorities.
“Is it not in this country we were when the citizens of Woro in Kwara State informed the security operatives that there was a threat on their lives, and bandits attacked them because they heard that they informed the security operatives? How did the bandits know that the people informed the security operatives?
“Then they came and they did a slaughter, and after the slaughter, they took hundreds of people. They just released them the other day after how many days,” he lamented.