Insecurity: Armed Forces Forum Seeks Review of National Security Strategy

*Says inter-agency cooperation remains a challenge
*Irabor calls for concerted action
*DSS: Addressing security challenges require mutual cooperation

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

A forum organised by the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), yesterday, called for a review of the National Security Strategy (NSS) launched in 2019 in order to enhance inter-agency coorperation and contain the security crises in the country.

The forum drawn from the military and all the security agencies admitted that inter-agency coorperation remained a challenge even as the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Lucky Irabor, called for concerted action on the part of the armed forces to improve inter-agency relations.

A communique issued at the end of a three-day workshop in Abuja and themed: “Strenghtening Inter-agency Cooperation for Sustainable National Security”, recognised that “interagency rivalry within Nigeria’s security agencies was as a result of perceived superiority complex, as evidenced by relations between the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Nigeria Police, the Police and personnel of other law enforcement agencies.”

The forum, therefore, “observed that duplication of responsibilities leads to operational challenges, competition, struggle for recognition and lack of coordination, particularly, in joint operations.”

The communique further “recognised the existence of several policy documents. However, the major challenge is that of effective coordination among the various security agencies.Identified the slow criminal justice system, when prosecuting criminals as an impediment to effective inter-agency cooperation.”

The forum “Observed that the conduct of joint training has been plagued by obstacles, such as the lack of harmonised doctrine and inadequate joint training at the rank and file levels. This has contributed to lack of trust and respect by preventing the development of common objectives, grasp of agency operations and appropriate expertise.”

Following the observations, the forum, therefore, recommended among others, that the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) “should set up a committee to review the National Security Strategy (NSS) to clearly defined roles and eliminate conflict, suspicion and mistrust amongst security agencies.

“ONSA should convene a special committee to produce joint training doctrine for security agencies. ONSA should ensure that the various security and law enforcement agencies train and re-train their personnel on key competencies and capacities.”
It further recommended that, “the DHQ should promote a culture of good civil-military relations, intelligence and information sharing between security agencies and civilians through seminars.

“The ONSA should organise regular capacity building workshops for members of the security agencies to strengthen knowledge and the practice of effective inter-agency cooperation. ONSA should create national facility for joint training of security agencies”.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Irabor, who was represented by Chief of Policy and Plans (CPP), Defence Headquarters, Air Vice Marshal Ayo Jolasimi, called for concerted efforts on the part of the armed forces in order to improve inter-agency relations.

Director-General of the Department of State Security (DSS) Alhaji Yusuf Bichi, who was also represented by the Director of Operations, Mr Joseph Dashuep, maintained that addressing security challenges required mutual cooperation of the security agencies while noting that all agencies must work on agreed policy and should remain accountable.