On Monday, May 19, Channels Television’s Morning Brief focused on the issue of counterterrorism. Commenting on the growing insecurity in the country, the Chief Executive Officer of Aquiline Intelligence, Onyekachi Adekoya, said that counterterrorism should be handled by the police rather than the army. He also emphasized the need for “a robust department for homeland security under the Ministry of Interior” to tackle security threats. After him, the Director at the Commonwealth Institute, Professor Anthony Kila, expressed concern over the security situation in the Marte Local Government Area of Borno State, which has recently seen attacks by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Kila complained about the under-utilisation of Nigeria’s national action plan on preventing and countering violent extremism, leading to a static and losing military confrontation with insurgent groups.
In Nigeria, counterterrorism operations are currently led by the armed forces, but there are growing concerns over inadequate policing, intelligence coordination, and civilian security frameworks. Last Saturday, the Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, called on the Federal Government to act decisively to prevent the fall of Marte town into the hands of Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists. Apart from Borno, other states like Benue, Plateau, Kogi, Katsina and Taraba have also recorded attacks.
