The worsening insecurity in neighbouring Mali, Burkina Faso and the Niger Republic has compounded Nigeria’s security challenges, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared yesterday.

The President said the growing instability across the Sahel has reinforced the need to strengthen Nigeria’s internal security architecture through the establishment of state police and the expansion of forest guard operations.

He assured the people that the proposed State police system would be backed by safeguards to prevent abuse.

The president made the declaration when he received members of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs, led by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, at the State House, Abuja.

The Olubadan said the visit was to thank the President for the rescue of the over 40 pupils and teachers abducted from schools in Oriire local government after 56 days in captivity.

Tinubu said the administration was responding to emerging security threats by overhauling the country’s operational strategy.

He said that the security architecture was being strengthened through the expansion of the Nigerian Army from eight to 12 divisions to reduce response time and improve operational effectiveness against terrorists and bandits.

The President explained that the proposed State police system, which has generated national debate for decades, would be designed with institutional safeguards to ensure that it is not misused by state governments or political actors.

He also said traditional rulers would play active roles within the new policing framework.

“Some of them (terrorists) that are non-Nigerians, you see the problem of insecurity in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger Republic, is adding more fuel to our challenges.

“In fact, that is why we must enhance the capacity of the forest guards as well as create the State police.

“Several decades of fears and uncertainty about what to do about security at the local level will be corrected. There will be State police, and that State police will have safeguards from abuses. We will protect it from abuses, and you traditional rulers too will have role to play more”, Tinubu said.

The President said every major security incident offered fresh lessons for the country’s security agencies, stressing that government was constantly reviewing its operational strategies and deployment patterns.

“As we emphasise the question of security, each event teaches us new methods, opens our eyes, challenges us to examine and re-examine our architecture, our strategy, our map and operations”, he said.

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Tinubu pointed to the recent rescue operation involving kidnapped victims in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State as evidence that the country’s security agencies were becoming more effective in responding to complex security situations.

He congratulated the traditional rulers on the successful rescue operation, attributing the outcome to their prayers and support, while praising the armed forces for what he described as an excellent performance.

The President reiterated his administration’s refusal to negotiate with kidnappers or pay ransom, revealing that the criminals involved in the Oyo kidnapping had demanded not only money but also the release of detained members of their gang.

“We refuse to negotiate for ransom. These criminals wanted us to release from detention members of their criminal gangs that were already arrested. That was one of their conditions, outside of the money they’re looking for, and we said no deal.

“We are not going to negotiate with criminals”, he declared.

According to him, yielding to such demands would embolden criminal groups and undermine the country’s justice system.

Tinubu also announced that the Federal Government was significantly strengthening the country’s forest guard system, saying the personnel would no longer merely protect forest reserves but would become an active component of the nation’s internal security strategy.

“We are equally enhancing the capacity and capability of the forest guards. They are not just to chase antelopes and animals. We are going to have them chase the criminals and deal with them in various forests”, he said.

He urged Nigerians to complement government efforts by remaining vigilant and promptly reporting suspicious persons and activities within their communities.

“The mention of intelligence is very important, and I want you to take it to our people to be extra vigilant, to know their neighbourhoods, know their areas, and report strange people”, the President told the monarchs.

Tinubu also challenged state governments to channel the increased allocations they now receive into infrastructure that directly improves security and economic activity.

Olubadan, who was the governor of Oyo State between 1999 and 2003, the President noted that states now receive between four and five times the allocations they previously got, making it possible to undertake projects without borrowing to pay salaries.

“The money that I’m pushing to the states, if you had it during your own time or during my time, it would have been different.

“They are taking four to five times more. Nobody is borrowing money to pay salaries now. Pensioners are receiving their pay, and they should do more instead of flyovers where there is no numeric traffic. They should build roads and artery networks to enhance the quality of life and improve accessibility for security agencies”, he said.

The President pledged to hold regular consultations with traditional rulers across the country to benefit from their grassroots knowledge and suggestions on governance and security.

“I will be calling meetings of so many of you traditional leaders to listen to you and offer some suggestions throughout the country.

“The immediate challenge is monumental. It’s not an easy job, but I asked for the job and I got it. I accept the assets and liabilities of my predecessors”, he said.

Assuring the delegation that the country’s security situation was improving, Tinubu urged Nigerians to appreciate members of the armed forces and the police for their sacrifices.

“I can tell you the security challenge is getting better. We are getting a hang of it much better. Any time you come across some of our soldiers and police officers, please pat them on the back and say thank you. They are doing a good job”, he said.

The Olubadan hailed the President for what he described as a decisive handling of the recent kidnapping in Oyo State, saying Tinubu’s refusal to pay ransom or negotiate from a position of weakness had changed the country’s approach to combating kidnapping.

The monarch said residents initially feared the incident could become another prolonged national tragedy but expressed relief that the victims were rescued through security operations.

“The fact that you did not pay ransom, the fact that you stood your ground shows that we now have a government that knows what it is doing.

“It has brought a turning point in the issue of kidnapping in Nigeria because people now know that we have a President who will not negotiate from the position of weakness with any kidnapper”, the Olubadan said.

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He, however, appealed to the Federal Government not to relax security operations within the vast forest stretching from Oyo through Kwara to Niger State, warning that criminal elements could regroup if security personnel withdrew from the area.

According to him, maintaining a permanent security presence within the forest reserve would be critical to sustaining the gains already recorded.

The monarch also praised Tinubu’s infrastructure drive in Oyo State, saying the state currently has about 10 ongoing federal projects valued at over N2 trillion.

He particularly praised the rebuilding of the Ibadan-Ife Road with concrete pavement, describing it as a permanent solution to a decades-long transportation challenge affecting commuters across the Southwest.

“I don’t think we have had it as good before. Particularly in the road networks, we are hopeful that by the time you complete your second term, they will be things of the past”, Oba Ladoja said.

The royal delegation comprises Olugbon of Orile-Igbon, Oba Francis Alao, Aseyin of Iseyin, Oba Sefiu Olawale Oyebola, Balogun of Ibadanland, Oba Tajudeen Ajibola and Osi Olubadan, Oba Abiodun kola-Daisi.

Others are Alajawa of Ajawa,Oba Adeyeye Oyetunji and Aare Ago of Ogbomoso, High Chief S Otolorin,who represented the Soun of Ogbomoso, and Onigbeti of Igbeti,Oba Abioye Basiru Olalekan, who represented Okere of Saki. (The Nation News)