PUNCH
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that the country needs to do something urgently on insecurity which, he said, has taken over some parts of the nation.
Obasanjo stated this in Bauchi State, on Sunday, where he inaugurated road projects constructed by Governor Bala Mohammed.
He said insecurity in Nigeria today is worse compared to his time in office when he prioritised the security of lives and property across the country.
The former president insisted on community policing, where members of communities know their neighbours, adding that this was crucial to easily identify and address security threats within communities.
Speaking at the palace of the Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Suleiman-Adamu, Obasanjo stressed the importance of community policing in addressing the rising insecurity in the country.
He said the current state of insecurity in Nigeria needed immediate action to address the situation.
“The best form of security is community policing because everyone knows his/her neighbours within the community. With that, it is very easy to identify the bad eggs.
“The situation of insecurity in Nigeria today is so bad, unlike during our terms in office when we prioritise the security of lives and properties across the country. We need to do something urgently about this.”
He urged traditional rulers to encourage community policing in their communities to reduce the spate of crimes.
“During our service to the nation, we did everything collectively, our decisions were taken together to have a uniform focus.
“My brother, Ahmed Adamu Mu’azu, is seated here, and he will bear me witness. Whatever we achieved then was a collective effort.
“We need peace, unity, and collective support in this country if we must move forward. Things can be right and good again in the country, all we need to do is to get united and do things collectively,” he noted.
