Report Says Police Operatives in Southeast Now Live in Fear
- The mounting insecurity in the southeast has reportedly made policemen in the region uncomfortable
- The police operatives are said to be living in fear of being attacked by the unknown gunmen carrying out coordinated attacks in the region
- The attacks have mainly targeted security operatives and their facilities across the southeast
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An exclusive report by Daily Trust indicates that security operatives have become endangered species in the southeast geo-political zone of Nigeria.
According to the report, 40 attacks have been launched in 2021 alone in the emerging trend of the onslaught on security personnel and wanton destruction of security facilities and operational assets.
The report stated that the frequent attacks on security formations have instilled psychological fear in the security operatives who are now afraid of wearing their uniforms in public.
Also, the development has also caused a sudden disappearance of security checkpoints on the roads in most states in the region.
Source: UGC
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One of the policemen in Anambra who spoke on the condition of anonymity said:
“With the way things are going, we hardly wear our uniforms from home to office. We are no longer being posted to road checkpoints.”
He said that policemen in Anambra are afraid of going out for the fear of being attacked by the gunmen.
Another policeman who spoke under the condition of anonymity in Abia state said this is not the best time to be a policeman in Nigeria.
His words:
“A police station with just eight men on duty could be overrun by hundreds of attackers armed with weapons. We have lost over 20 of our officers in less than six months.”
The officer called for more protection of policemen and their families.
Experts quoted in the report noted that the spate of attacks has compounded the insecurity in other parts of the country and portends a grievous security challenge for Nigeria.
A retired director with the Department of State Service, DSS, Mike Ejiofor, has said that attacks on security formations in the southeast are the beginning of insurgency.
The security expert said he predicted the outcome in 2017, stressing that the attacks are aimed at instilling fear in the public, weakening the security institutions and public confidence in the government.
He urged the federal government to call leaders of the region and address issues of marginalization as well as rein in on the youths.
The former DSS boss urged police to beef up security around its formations and seek the cooperation of the public.
On his part, security risk management and intelligence specialist, Kabir Adamu, said at least 43 attacks have been launched on security formations and operatives from Thursday, January to Wednesday, April 7.
He said the attacks are coordinated to weaken the already weakened security institutions in the region towards possible insurgency or insurrection, adding that it portend grave danger for the country.
Legit.ng had earlier reported that policemen in the southeast have abandoned their checkpoints and now go to work in mufti for fear of being attacked.
The policemen only dress in their official uniforms when they get to their offices for fear of been victims of random attacks.
Meanwhile, a lot of stakeholders in Nigeria are also becoming increasingly skeptical about the possibility of achieving a free, fair, and credible election in 2023 amidst the worsening security situation in the country.
With the current trend of insecurity in the different geo-political zones of the country, there is a general apprehension that things could get worse before the next election.
Source: Legit.ng
