There are strong indications that no fewer than nine
states will soon acquire remotely piloted aircraft (drones) and other devices
as part of measures to tackle kidnapping and killing in their states.
Investigations by The PUNCH on Saturday showed that
the states included Ogun, Oyo, Ebonyi, Lagos, Osun, Ondo, Benue and Enugu.
Sunday PUNCH had, on July 28, reported that efforts
of some state governments to obtain necessary safety and security clearances to
acquire drones were failing due to the strict conditions stipulated by the
Federal Government’s agencies responsible for granting the approval.
The report listed some of the states that had made
moves to deploy drones in tackling bandits, kidnappers and killer herdsmen as
Lagos, Osun, Ondo, Kaduna and Anambra.
At a meeting with the South-West traditional rulers
at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari said he
would direct relevant federal agencies to speedily approve applications by
states for drones.
Ogun, Oyo initiating process of applications
In the light of the fresh President’s pledge, the
Ogun State Government told The PUNCH that it had begun the process to apply for
drones to fight herdsmen menace and other criminal activities in the state.
The PUNCH learnt that the decision of the state
government was based on the relocation of killer herdsmen to areas of the state
including the Lagos-Ibadan road and the Sagamu-Ore Expressway.
Two weeks ago, a son of the Chief Medical Director
of the Lafia Hospital, Apata, Ibadan, and two workers of the hospital were
kidnapped at Ajebo, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, on their way
to Lagos.
It was learnt that the victims, who were allegedly
kidnapped by some Fulani bandits, secured their release a few days later after
paying about N50m as ransom.
On Thursday night, five people, including a pastor
of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, were kidnapped around the Area J3,
Ogbere along the Benin-Ore-Sagamu Expressway. They have since regain their
freedom.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Ogun State
Governor, Kunle Somorin, told one of our correspondents that the state was
ready to acquire drones to tackle the menace of the killer herdsmen.
Somorin said, “We have always stated that we will
deploy technology in fighting crimes and insecurity. Drones are consistent with
how we plan to track, pre-empt and prevent crimes and deviant social
behaviours. The Federal Government’s position is in tandem with our vision for
drones.”
When asked whether the state had sought the
permission of the Federal Government, Somorin stated, “Whatever means that is
legal will be taken to ensure the drones are acquired.”
On his part, the Special Adviser to the Oyo State
Governor on Media, Jide Ajani, said his principal had already said he would
deploy technology in tackling insecurity. He added that drones were one of such
technological devices to actualise the plan.
Ajani, in an interview with The PUNCH, said, “The
issue of drones is not new to us here. At one or two fora, our governor, Mr
Seyi Makinde, had hinted about deploying technology to combat criminality in
our state. Drones are included in the larger body of technology that can be
deployed in combating criminality.
“But for the process and the complex nature of our
country, where you have security on the exclusive list, our governor would have
set the ball rolling. Most importantly, however, there is the urgent need for
the realisation that these episodic approaches to fighting crime are not
sustainable.
“What is sustainable is what we have been talking
about and which is dear to Governor Makinde and that is the issue of true
federalism. The issue of state police is very central.”
Ebonyi waiting for green light to apply for drones
Also, the Ebonyi State Government said it would
apply for licence to import drones any time the Federal Government decided to
issue such official permit.
Emma Uzor, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor
David Umahi, stated this in an interview with one of our correspondents in
Abakliki, the state capital.
He added that aside from the state government’s
willingness to join others to acquire drones, it had commenced the installation
of security cameras and closed-circuit televisions at strategic entry and exit
points within the state to check the influx of foreigners, especially illegal
herdsmen.
“We will import drones as soon as the Federal
Government decides to issue the licence for them in the country. This will help
in Abakaliki and curb insecurity in the state.
“Outside the planned importation of drones, the
state government is mounting CCTVs in strategic entry and exit points within
the state to check foreigners and herdsmen,” Uzor added.
Benue to apply for drone licence
Also, the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom,
expressed the plan of the state to acquire drones anytime the Federal
Government decided to give the go-ahead for the licence.
Ortom, who disclosed this through his Special
Adviser, Col. Paul Hemba (retd.), described the decision of the Federal
Government to allow the appropriate agencies to issue the drone licence as a
welcome development.
“The state will surely apply for the drone licence
anytime the Federal Government approves the issuance of the licence.
“Although I have not heard nor read the Federal
Government’s decision to issue the drone licence, Benue will surely apply,” he
added.
We’ll look at the possibility, says Ekiti
On the state’s plan for the proposed drone
initiative, the Special Adviser on Security Matters to the Ekiti State
Governor, Brig. Gen. Ebenezar Ogundana (retd.), said the state would look at
such possibility after due consideration of the cost and the benefits.
Ogundana, who explained that although drones owned
by the military were catering to the strategic needs of Ondo and Ekiti states,
stated that the drone licence initiative was just emerging.
He said, “We would sit down and actually analyse the
situation, the cost implication, the advantages and disadvantages, we will now
decide whether we are going to key into that arrangement.”
Enugu to deploy aerial surveillance
On his part, the Enugu State Commissioner of Police,
Suleiman Balarabe, said aerial surveillance would be used to monitor forests in
the state.
The police commissioner said this on Friday after a
security meeting following the killing of a Catholic priest in the state by
suspected herdsmen.
The state police boss, who read the resolution of
the meeting, said, “The state government also resolved to have aerial
surveillance in all the forests that these dastardly incidents are taking
place.”
When contacted on the matter, Kaduna State, one of
the states which The PUNCH had reported had applied for licence for a drone,
declined to comment.
The state Commissioner for Internal Security and
Home Affairs, Mr Samuel Aruwan, described the enquiry as a security matter.
“What you are asking is clearly undermining and
compromising security of our citizens and we cannot compromise their security
on the pages of newspapers. No comment,” Aruwan stated in his response.
Anambra discontinues use of drone
But the Anambra State Government said it had
discontinued the use of drones for the surveillance of criminals. It explained
that in place of drones, the state occasionally hired police helicopter for
aerial battle against criminals.
Speaking with The PUNCH on the telephone on Friday,
the state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, C-Don Adinuba,
explained why the state discontinued the idea of using drones for security.
“One is the lifespan of the battery and the image
generated by the device,” he said.
The Ondo State Government, through the Commissioner
for Information, Mr Donald Ojogo, said, “I’m not inclined to disclose whether
or not the Ondo State Government has applied, or will apply for such (drones).
“Like the states of the South-West have always
maintained, the menace of insecurity has assumed such a frightening dimension
that requires a commensurate strategy to tackle.”
Banditry checked, no need for drones –Zamfara
Meanwhile, Alhaji Abubakar Dauran, the Security
Adviser to Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State, said the state, which had
witnessed some of the most deadly and persistent attacks in recent times, did
not need drones.
“The state does not need any drone at the moment
considering the fact that the activities of bandits are almost controlled as a
result of the peace accord between the government and the bandits,” Dauran
stated.
No security threat in A’Ibom, says commissioner
But the Akwa Ibom State Government said there were
no security threats in the state. The state Commissioner for Information,
Charles Udoh, said, “I don’t like commenting on issues of insecurity; there is
no insecurity in Akwa Ibom. We are focused on development and how to ensure all
communities in the state get the basic necessities of life; that is the plan of
the government.”
The Permanent Secretary in charge of security in the
Cross River State Governor’s Office, Sir Alfred Mboto, said, “Normally when you
want to buy any security equipment, you have to apply through the National
Intelligence Agency. I don’t know whether another agency will handle the
application for drones. I will liaise with the Chief Security Officer on the
issue.”
South-East forest guards won’t carry arms – Umahi
Meanwhile, the South-East Governors’ Forum said each
state in the zone would form its forest guards to ensure that criminals, who
infiltrated into the zone, were fished out.
The governors also disclosed that in the planned
security measure for the zone, the guards would not carry arms but would work
with security agencies to achieve the desired results for which they were being
set up.
The Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, who is the
chairman of the Forum, spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Emma Uzor, in
an interview with one of our correspondents in Abakaliki.
The CPS said, “They are not going to bear arms. They
are going to be pure civilians and they will be going into these forests with
security agents such as policemen, men of the Nigerian Army, operatives of the
Department of State Services and others who will provide security cover for
them while in the bush.
“Every state will have its guards, but there is
going to be a coordinating security committee to be headquartered in Enugu, the
capital of the defunct Eastern Region.”
He noted that each state in the zone was expected to
gather intelligence and forward same to the committee in Enugu, whose
responsibility would be to process it and send to security agencies for
necessary action.
He further revealed that the guards in collaboration
with security agents would comb the forests in their different states twice or
thrice daily.
He said each state in the South-East was at liberty
to commence the exercise as soon as it could, adding that arrangements were
already ongoing to start enlisting trusted Ebonyi youths into the planned
programme.
According to him, states in the geopolitical zone
are embracing what the Federal Government is doing by clearing 50 metres into
bushes on major highways to ensure there is no hiding place for criminals.
“The essence is to checkmate the infiltration of
foreigners who are not Nigerians that illegally come into the country as
herdsmen and others.
“Their (forest guards) mode of operation involves
traversing all the forests in each state within the zone, twice or thrice
daily, to fish out criminals,” he added.
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