Renowned
security expert, Dr. Ona Ekhomu has advised traditional rulers to provide
effective leadership in the security of their domains, as a way of fulfilling
their part of the social contract with their subjects, reports ITRealms.
He
also said that exercising purposeful leadership in security management of their
respective communities will enhance the legitimacy of the traditional rulership
institution and contribute to national security.
Speaking
at the national conference on “Culture, Peace and National Security: The Role
of Traditional Rulers” organized by the National Institute for Cultural
Orientation in Ibadan on 30th January 2018, Ekhomu, providing a roadmap
for security in Nigerian communities captioned “A-Z of the Role of Traditional
Rulers in Security Management”, urged traditional rulers to take ownership of
the security management of their domains.
He
told them to harness the critical resources available including law
enforcement, military, youth age grades, prominent citizens from the area, etc.
in the security architecture of the community. “The missing link is leadership
– which the traditional ruler can provide”, he added.
Dr.
Ekhomu, who is the President of the Association
of Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria (AISSON) urged the
rulers to embrace and support law enforcement authorities in their communities
by building and donating police posts where possible.
He
further advised traditional rulers in rural communities to support public
security personnel by providing foodstuffs, rent-free housing and farm lands
for subsistence farming.
“Traditional
rulers should establish liaison with security agencies as a way of creating
force multiplication in the community,” he said.
On
intelligence gathering, Ekhomu tasked rulers to engage in information gathering
and escalation to the authorities for action. The expert said that if
information provided to the public authorities is neglected and a security
breach occurs, the ruler can then take the authorities to task, so that
information supplied to the authorities in future will be acted upon.
“Traditional
rulers must use their influential and privileged positions to forge a symbiotic
relationship between the security agencies and his subjects”, he added.
He
urged the royal fathers to undergo training in security awareness so they can
pass on such information to their subjects – using the town crier where
necessary.
On
the tactical level, Ekhomu urged rulers to conduct demographic mapping in order
to keep a record of ex-service personnel in their domains. He urged the
formation of Threat Assessment Teams
(TAT) “that may enable your community analyze imminent threats and how to
respond to them”.
He
advised royal fathers to maintain a record of security incidents in their
communities to enable them conduct probability analysis of the occurrence of loss
events, and produce reports for the political elites.
Ekhomu
urged rulers to name and shame families of confirmed armed robbers, kidnappers,
cultists. He praised Obosi town in Anambra State where the traditional ruler
determined that violent criminals who are killed will not be given proper
burial.
Ayo Midele/GEE
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