By Mary Agidi

The recent incessant killings of security agents across the length and breadth of Nigeria by hoodlums, bandits, terrorists and  militia groups is worrisome. Reports of deadly attacks against military officers and policemen on official duties within the past three years call for concern and inspire the question of how are Security Agents would be so overpowered by these criminals?

A report by the SBM Intelligence, the leading geopolitical research consultancy in Nigeria and West Africa, revealed that no fewer than 964 Security Agents were killed in attacks by insurgents and bandits between 2020 and the mid 2021. These included 322 policemen and 642 soldiers.

The report which covered the 4th quarter of 2020 to the 3rd quarter of 2021, also revealed that aside the aforementioned number of killed soldiers and policemen, 11 officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, five personnel of Nigeria Customs Service, two DSS officers, and two NIS officers lost their lives in attacks by different groups of criminals. One hundred and twenty-nine vigilantes were also among casualties for the period under review.

Specifically, between January and December 2020, 678 security agents were killed, and between January and September 2021, 818 were killed. This worrisome development indicates a new dimension to the level of insecurity in Nigeria.

Prior to the rise in the killings of Security Agents, the concern had been about the incessant killings of innocent Nigerians by the Boko Haram insurgents, killers herdsmen, militants, kidnappers and the extra judicial killings  by the Security Agents, themselves.

For the first half of the year 2022, 65 police officers were reportedly slain. At this same period, 81 soldiers, two correctional service officials, two NDLEA, five NSCDC, and two FRSC personnel were also murdered. This amounted to 157 security agents that were wasted in the first half of the year 2022, based on reported cases because there were unreported incidents due to disappearance and cover-up.

This brutal act against the Security Agents was executed mostly in the Northwest, Northcentral, Northeast, and the Southeast regions of Nigeria, with a few records in the southwest.

According to the data provided by the Council on Foreign Relations’ Nigeria Security Tracker (NST), a website that tracks violent incidents related to political, economic, and social grievances directed at the state or other affiliated groups,  non-state actors killed 138 policemen in eight months in Nigeria in 2022.

Meanwhile, between January and September 2023, a total of 186 security agents were reportedly killed by the non-state actors. Some of the incidents include the killing of three policemen at the Ebonyi-Enugu border checkpoint on January 28, 2023.

On January 31, a Divisional Police Officer and two policemen were killed in fresh herders attacks on Benue State communities. On February 9, gunmen ambushed and killed four military officers in Delta state. Two days later, bandits killed a Divisional Police Officer and four policemen in Niger State on February 11.

Also, in Anambra State, gunmen set ablaze a Police Area Command and killed three policemen on February 18. Four soldiers were among 10 people killed by bandits in Niger communities on March 15. Terrorists killed 51 vigilante members in Zamfara on March 18, and in Anambra on May 5, three policemen were killed by gunmen, while in September, gunmen killed eight soldiers, policemen in Imo State.

Between January and now, gunmen suspected to be members of the Eastern Security Network, ESN, an armed group of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, killed two police officers along old Gariki Road, Okigwe Council Area of Imo state on March 22024.

The latest was the killing of 17 soldiers who were reportedly ambushed by unknown assailants while on a peace mission to in the Okuama community in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State.

The slain officers comprised a Lieutenant Colonel, two Majors, one Captain, and 12 soldiers.

A week prior to this sad incident which thrown the country into mourning, the Nigeria Police Force released the names of six policemen who were also maimed and killed by characters of the same mould in Ohoro Forest in the same Delta State. They were said to be on a rescue mission to locate three of their colleagues who were reported lost in the forest. Six others are still not found after the incident.

Regardless of the underlying causes of these ruthless attacks against security agents, concerned citizens called for a concerted effort to bring an end to the violence.

Speaking with The Hope, a security expert, Alhaji Jimoh Dojumo, described it as one of the hazards of the profession, which is inevitable in their pursuit to secure the nation. He, however, disapproved of the notion that they were not well-trained to tackle insurgency.

According to him, these criminals are part of the society and were known by residents of the area. He, therefore, emphasized the need for collaborative efforts between the security agencies and the people to expose the ill-doers.

“They are putting in their best. People are just attacking them because it’s one of the prices they have to pay. There’s nothing we can really do. Their best may not be enough, but they’re doing their best. They just need our cooperation, let’s assist them to make sure we expose criminals in our society”, he said.

In his reaction to this, a retired senior police officer, Tee Leo Ikoro maintained that in order to curb this attack, government should provide employment for the youths because they’re the ones killing the security agents, due to idleness.

According to him, the violent youths see the security agents as enemies who were against their nefarious activities, hence the reason they were always alert to attack them at every given opportunity.

He stated that the level of poverty and hunger in the land had turned many youths to criminals, noting that they knew the strengths and weaknesses of the security agents due to the fact that they were both youths.

“Employment for youths is very important. If that is done, we will have a safer society and safer security system, “he averred.

Leo Ikoro advocated training and retraining security personnel to equip them with modern protective skills and strategies.

 He also admonished security agents to be humane in the discharge of their professional duties, noting that taking violent decisive actions against the hungry masses with whom you share the same environment with, would definitely call for reprisal attacks.

He advised them to desist from compounding the financial problem of the masses by demanding money to settle cases, which could have been settled amicably with professional advice.

“As security agents, you have to be humane and display true professionalism; you have to see the people as yourself. Have a conscious understanding of what you need and how you want them to do it.

“Again, they need more training, psychological, physical, and communication training. Some are not well- trained on how to properly communicate with people”, he hinted.

Also speaking, a veteran journalist, Mr.Olasainde Afolabi lamented that the majority of Nigerian’s security agents, young ones in particular, are not well-trained.

 Using the Amotekun Corps as a case custody, he opined that some of the criminals around are either dismissed security agents who have been well-trained on how to handle sophisticated weapons, therefore,  overcoming such experienced criminals would be difficult for the less experienced security agents.

According to him, they should be well-armed and abreast of the modern techniques of tackling crimes, citing the unfortunate incidents in Delta State where the hoodlums ambushed Soldiers.

“They don’t go for periodic trainings like before, especially on intelligence gathering.

“I will advocate constant training for them to know how to tackle emergency, with different weapons for different crimes. The crime that is supposed to be tackled by mobile policemen should not be assigned to Soldiers because they have specialized training experiences.  Some of these criminals were trained by retired military officers who have connection with foreign terrorist groups, “he asserted.

An editorial on this issue, published by the Leadership Newspaper, also proffers some possible solutions to contain the situation, which include increasing the resources and training available to security agents. This could include providing better equipment and weapons, as well as training them with the latest tactics and techniques for dealing with terrorist groups and other criminals.

Furthermore, increased intelligence and surveillance capabilities would be essential in tracking down those responsible for the killings and bringing them to justice.

There is a need to also address the underlying social and economic issues that are fueling the violence. This could involve investing in programmes that address poverty and unemployment, as well as increasing access to education and other basic services.

Also, efforts must be made to combat corruption and improve governance at all levels, as these issues are deeply intertwined with the problem of violence and insecurity.

It is also crucial that the government and the security agencies work closely with the communities affected by violence to ensure that they have a voice in the process of addressing these issues. This includes working with traditional and religious leaders, as well as civil society organisations, to build trust and establish effective communication channels.

Other opinions suggested that security agents who are familiar with the crime environments be assigned to that area so as to avoid falling sheepishly to the hands of the criminals.