A political affairs analyst, Ibrahim Modibo, has called for the removal of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, over what he described as the worsening security situation in Nigeria.
Papers News reports that Modibo made the call on Friday during an appearance on Prime Time, a programme on Arise Television.
Speaking on the deteriorating security challenges in the country, Modibo said the current security architecture had failed to effectively address the threats posed by terrorists and other armed groups.
“The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, should be sacked. He has failed. The security architecture has failed. And if someone is failing exams, will he continue graduating? He should be let go,” he said.
The analyst also expressed concern over recent attacks by terrorists on military Forward Operating Bases.
According to him, the attacks have resulted in the killing of several senior military officers, including at least three General Commanding Officers.
He stressed that the situation highlighted serious weaknesses in the country’s security strategy.
Modibo urged the government and security agencies to adopt modern technology to strengthen surveillance and intelligence gathering.
He said, “You see, indeed, there is a need for us to break the glass ceilings with a view to plucking some low hanging fruits within the cycles of security in this country.
“Now, secondly, for me, there are some fundamental steps to take. Why are we not using technology?”
He questioned why security agencies had not deployed more sophisticated monitoring systems around military installations.
“Apart from drone surveillance, assuming, without considering that our military is equipped with state-of-the-art materials, is it not possible or don’t they have surveillance cameras that could capture the visibility around military control situations in those areas?” he asked.
Modibo proposed the installation of round-the-clock surveillance systems to monitor activities around military bases.
“The base is about five kilometres, so that 24 hours, we’ll have officers monitoring all the bushes, seeing whatever is happening,” he said.
He also suggested that authorities could deploy satellite technology to track activities around vulnerable areas.
The analyst further criticised the continued payment of ransom to terrorists, arguing that security agencies should be able to track criminals through technological means.
He added, “These terrorists, for a very long time, have been capturing people, going into villages and collecting ransom.
“For God’s sake, ransoms have been paid. The security know. Don’t they have this technological pin that they could put into the money to track these criminals wherever they are?”
