Restructure Nigeria’s Security System, ECWA Tells FG

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin-city

The leadership of the Evangelical Church of Winning All (ECWA) has called on the federal government to restructure the current security architecture of Nigeria to enable the state governors have control of security agencies in their domain in order to achieve quick responses to security challenges such as banditry, kidnappings, killings and other sundry crimes.

The church said the security situation in all the geo-political zones is alarming, and should not be allowed to deteriorate further.

President of ECWA, Rev Stephen Panya, made the call in Benin-city, Edo State, at the weekend when he installed District Executive members and inaugurated the newly built hostel and district secretariat for the Edo/Delta District of the church.

Panya, who lamented that ECWA has been a major victim of attacks on churches in the Middle Belt and northern part of Nigeria, said: “For a long time, we have been talking to the government to rejig the security architecture of this country. We kept hinting that they needed to change the security chiefs; thank God, though belatedly, that has been done as it is better late than never.

“However, the level of deterioration of security in this country has reached a stage that it became very clear that the federal government has failed. It has failed completely under the present leadership of President Muhamadu Buhari, so there is need for restructuring of this country especially in the area of security.

“I think state governments need to have more direct control and command of security apparatus. Some states have already taken their initiative by setting up their security networks like in the Southwest, where we have the Amotekun Corps, and I think that is really a very great idea and step to take, but I think it is even better to constitutionally allow states to have their own security apparatus, be it state police, so that the governors, who are the chief security officers of their states will be able to take decisive and timely action in order to arrest crisis and other security issues bedevilling the states, as they are presently incapacitated.

“The Commissioners of Police and other security agents are resident in the states, but don’t take orders from the state governors. They take orders from the federal government, and this is the reason why we are having continual security challenges in the country.”

Panya added: “ECWA is among the foremost churches facing persecution of Christians in Nigeria,” noting that a lot of its churches have been destroyed and burnt down.