ONSA: Past Security Reforms Reveal Need for Procedural Capabilities in Mitigating Terror Attacks

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), wednesday said previous security reforms it spearheaded over the past few years revealed an urgent need for comprehensive, structural and procedural capabilities in mitigating terrorist attacks.

The Coordinator, Counter Terrorism Centre, ONSA, Commodore Yem Musa disclosed this wednesday in Abuja while giving his keynote address at a workshop on ‘Enhancing the Use of ICT in Counter-terrorism Policy and Practice’ organised by the Partners West Africa Nigeria.

Musa who was represented by Head, Preventing /Countering Violent Extremism unit, Ms. Catherine Udida, explained that ONSA has been able to spearhead key reforms and strategies on public security and policy, some of which include: the National Security Strategy (NSS) 2014, the National Counter-terrorism Strategy (NACTEST 2016) and the National Cyber Security Strategy 2014.

According to him, “the process of development of these strategies over the past few years revealed an urgent need for comprehensive, structural and procedural capabilities in mitigating terrorist attacks; curb cross-border crimes, monitoring financial crimes such as money laundry and advance-fee fraud.”

Continuing, Musa added: “We cannot achieve this alone as such there is a need for effective collaboration, cooperation and information sharing within and between security agencies, the private sector, government and the international community.”

He expressed delight that the workshop was coming at a time when the country needed all the support to surmount the challenges of growing insecurity.

“Like every developed nation in the world, we are experiencing evolving security issues that continue to challenge our mandates, individually and collectively, as institutions. There are activities of the dreaded Boko Haram sect in the North-east, the increased rate of kidnapping across the country, ethno religious clashes, banditry between herdsmen and farmers in the North-eentral, and North-west. The Niger Delta is not left out of the security challenges, as activities of illegal oil bunkering, pipeline vandalisation and militancy continue to pose threats to the commonwealth of our nation,” he said.

Musa also expressed optimism that expectations from the forum would provide opportunity to access achievements, discuss challenges and proffer solutions for the short, medium- and long-term in the security sector.

Earlier, the Executive Director, Ms. Kemi Okenyodo, said the workshop was organised as part of Citizens Security programme area aimed at facilitating a holistic planning on security sector reform processes in the North-east.

She stressed that, “the country has been faced with various security problems over the past few years, with most pertinent in recent times being the insurgency in the North-east. Analysis of the conflict situations in other parts of the country has also revealed that there is a lack of coordination, collaboration, coherence, cooperation among the security agencies.”