… Lagos, Security Institute hold stakeholders forum
Security stakeholders have identified drug abuse, bad leadership, and the absence of social security as the bane of insecurity in the country.
At at a meeting of the Executive Intelligence Management Course (EIMC) 18 of the National Institute For Security Studies, at a workshop organised by the Lagos State government and National Institute for Security Studies (NISS), which held in Ikeja, Lagos, they identified bad leadership, corruption, flagrant display of ill gotten wealth, drug abuse, and lack of social security for the jobless, as bane of insecurity in the country.
The participants noted that failure on the part of government, to tackle corruption to the barest minimum, and inability to mete out punishment for those accused of corruption, encourage others to see it as a way of life, and, as such, were prepared to go to any length to get rich.
They stated that, it had been a common practice for people to flagrantly display their Ill-gotten wealth, and that this was done without the government querying the source of such money; while adding that due to indulgence of the government, many Nigerians were now desperate to be rich – consequently engaging in crime and various forms of criminality.
Speaking at the workshop, Lagos State chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Agnes Funmi Sessi, stated that lack of home training, which denied some children of moral instructions, made it easier for them to be lured into crime.
From left: Director Special Services, Akinmade Akin; Professor Tukur Ibrahim; Professor Oshite Ohita, and Fashola Theophilus (PhD), during the stakeholders meeting of the Executive Intelligence Management Course (EIMC) 18 of the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS), which held in Ikeja, Lagos, on Monday, April 28, 2025.
She stressed that bad leadership, corruption, further encourages insecurity.
Comrade Sessi stated that, display of ill-gotten wealth without being challenged encourages some people to go into crime. She added that porosity of Nigeria’s borders further compounded the insecurity problem in Nigeria, because many foreigners found their way into Nigeria to perpetrate crime.
Alhaja Amidat Olanipekun said the major thing that influenced many to go into crime is abuse of drugs. She urged the government to checkmate abuse of drugs and substances, by going after drug peddlers.
Tomisin Badewole of Hope For The Masses Foundation, noted that there is high level of insecurity because important dignitaries in the society, some senior security officers, such as those in the Police, Army, Navy and Air Force, shield the criminals, and made it difficult for the long arm of the law to catch up with them.
She emphasised that if government is serious about fighting insecurity, it must introduce state policing, because those to be recruited understand their terrain; so there won’t be a safe haven for criminals.
In his submission, Lagos State Chairman of Trade Union Congress (TUC), Gbenga Ekundayo, said there is the need to tax the rich to take care of the masses; just as he canvassed for technology and data science advancement, to tackle insecurity. This, he said, would make criminals to be easily be identified.
He added that, social security should be provided for the jobless, as it is done in advanced countries. He maintained that in developed countries, the jobless don’t see crime as a way out of their problem, because social security takes care of them.
Some of the traditional rulers present at the workshop – Oba Semiudeen Kasali, Adegboruwa of Igbogbo and Oba Adeniyi Owolabi, Onisabe of Sabe; urged those in power to curb corruption, be patriotic in their approach to issues and also fund all the security personnel in the country very well, so that they will be disposed to fight insurgents and all forms of crime in the society.
In her submission, Foluke Arigbede, the Director of Coordination and Liaison Services (NISS), urged Nigerians to be more patriotic and put the country first, in whatever they do.
She explained that most of the advanced countries that were able to fight crime to the barest minimum, succeeded because they put their country’s interest above personal interests.