Terrorism tests democracy, not security agencies – Ex-IGP Abubakar

Former Inspectors-General of Police, IGP Mohammed Abubakar, has said that terrorism tests democracy, not security agencies.

Speaking, Saturday, in Abuja during the public presentation and formal launch of a book, “Beyond the Bullets: Policing Terrorism in a Democratic System”, which he authored, the former Police boss noted that the motivation for writing the book was derived from his over three decades in thr Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

‘I saw firsthand that terrorism tests democracy rather than it tests police and other security agencies. It challenges our laws, it challenges our institutions, it challenges our moral confidence.

“When terrorists strike government of 10 take a temptation. A temptation to treat right with speed, oversight with convenience.

“But democracy is not only a system of elections or constitution. It is a system of restraint. It is how we respond under pressure. 

“So this book is not just about security. It is about the kind of society we want to be. Even when we face fear, anger and real threat, it acts. A simple but urgent question: How do we protect people without sacrifice? Sacrificing the principles that protection of its legitimate power?”

Former President, Goodluck Jonathan, Noted that the establishment of Almajiri schools across the North was part of measures by his administration to address security challenges plaguing the country, particularly  to reduce the prevalence of youth recruitment by terrorists and other violent extremists in parts of the region.

President Jonathan, who was represented by his then Chief of Staff (CoS), Mike Oghiadomhe, disclosed that as Commander-in-Chief, he had confronted this scourge frontally, deploying available resources to strengthen security response and protect the citizenry.

“In furtherance of this, my administration engaged in the establishment of Almajiri schools aimed at providing skills to millions of youth population beyond religious education only.

“This was intended to enable them earn a living and contribute meaningfully to the national development while reducing the numbers of youth available for recruitment into violent crime,” he stated.

He commended the author, whom he said served as the “Premier police boss” during his time as President, for making this significant contribution to national conversation on policing, terrorism and democratic governance. 

“As President, working with the author and other key security heads, I also confronted this scourge and made every effort within the resources and circumstances available to my administration to strengthen our security response and protect our citizens.

“I believe the author has pointed out the fact that the fight against terrorism is not the responsibility of one administration or the other. It is a continuing national and global challenge that requires sustained commitment, institutional learning and cooperation across successive governments and generations.

“This is what makes beyond the Bullets particularly valuable. The title itself suggests that the response to terrorism must go beyond the use of kinetics, which I fully believe in,” he added.

The former president further identified the Great Green Wall Project as another bold attempt at dealing with threats to national security and public safety.

He said the plan, apart from arresting desertification, making more fertile land available for crop farming and animal husbandry, had the potential of providing employment for hundreds of thousands.

“I therefore use this opportunity to call on government to revisit and review these programs. As chairman of this occasion, I will resist the temptation to delve into the content of the book. 

“That responsibility properly belongs to the reviewer who has done a great job today. I witnessed that whose task is to critically examine the work, bring out its central arguments, and provide us with an informed assessment,” he concluded.

On his part, the book reviewer, Prof Etannibi E. Alemika, traced the background of insurgency in the country,  noting: “In view of the scale of violence and lack of prior experience and appropriate counter-insurgency doctrine, government deployed military personnel to combat the sect. The police, which is the country’s lead agency in internal security management and operations was significantly by-passed because of the perceived incapability to address terrorism of the magnitude involving Boko Haram.

“The government’s response to the complex insecurity involving terrorist groups has primarily been deployment of military. In essence, there has been significant reliance on bullets to combat widespread terrorism in the country by diverse terrorist groups. However, the problem persists.

“It is now widely suggested that combatting the country’s insecurity, especially terrorism, requires balancing kinetic and non-kinetic approaches. This is the background to the motivation of the author in writing this book and giving it the title, Beyond the Bullets.

“This book is a recommendation for the balance of the adoption of military and non-military solutions to the country’s complex and intractable insecurity problems, especially in respect of terrorism involving insurgents, bandits and kidnappers.”

Dignitaries, who attended the event included President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Governor of Zamfara state, NDC Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, former governors, as well as retired IGPs.