A former Deputy National Chairman (South-West) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, has expressed concern over President Bola Tinubu’s handling of the insurgency in Nigeria.
Speaking on Channels Television’s “Politics Today” on Monday, George highlighted the recent multiple suicide bombings in Borno State as a stark indicator of the escalating crisis.
The coordinated attacks, which took place in Tashan Mararaba and Gwoza towns, targeted a wedding, a hospital, and a funeral ceremony, resulting in significant casualties.
Vice President Kashim Shettima confirmed that the death toll from the bomb blasts had risen to 32 during his condolence visit to the affected victims and their families last Monday.
Drawing from his experience as a former combatant in the Nigerian Army, George advocated for the introduction of state police as a solution to curb the resurgence of insecurity in the North East.
He argued that the current approach of deploying the military to handle internal security challenges is flawed and emphasized the unique capabilities of local policing.
“One key thing with the military where I trained, unlike the policemen, is that when you go to war and have your enemies facing you frontally, it is either you kill them or they will kill you.
“ It is no big deal. But when you now have social unrest, you then deploy the military. If any of them is killed, you respond with the most potent force to fight back,” George explained.
George recounted recommendations from the constitutional conference committee formed under former President Goodluck Jonathan, stressing the urgent need for state police.
He noted that insurgency and insecurity require a different approach from traditional warfare, as the enemy is often indistinguishable from civilians during the day but turns hostile at night.
“You know, when we go to war, you have a defined enemy. But in this case, it is an insurgency, insecurity within. You don’t know who is who.
“ They can come out in the day and pretend to be part of one area. But at night, they turn out to be something else,” he said.
George underscored the importance of community-based policing, stating that locals are best positioned to manage security issues within their communities due to their understanding of cultural nuances and social dynamics.
“What you need will be people within their community to police them.
They know themselves, they know the do’s and don’ts of that culture, and they know the rules of the people in that culture. So, they would be better off to be able to manage any issues within their communities. For God’s sake, we need the state police,” he concluded.
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