Experts, on Wednesday, expressed concern over rivalry among security agencies, stressing that an enhanced synergy is vital to addressing the prevailing security challenges.
Speaking at a meeting, titled “enhancing national security through inter-agency collaboration,” organised by the Igbinedion University Okada (IUO) Buratai Centre for Comtemporary Security Affairs in Edo State, Solomon Arase, a former inspector-general of police, said collaboration was a necessity among security agencies that cannot be ignored.
Arase opined that the rivalry existed despite the fact that no individual agency could holistically handle security issues alone.
He, therefore, called for a review of the existing national security policy and apparatus that would instruct all military and paramilitary agencies as partners in securing the nation.
According to him, it requires that all relevant agencies must seek to promote cooperation to better achieve successful security policy implementation.
Jeleel Ogunlade, a retired major general and one of the discussants at the roundtable meeting, blamed politics for the rivalry in most cases, and called for the enforcement of standard procedure of operations among the security agencies.
Lawrence Ezemonye, vice-chancellor of the university, in his address, said the theme was chosen in recognition of the crucial role of synergy among security agencies in the country against domestic and external threats.
“While this realisation of the need for inter-agency cooperation is clear and obvious, it cannot be said that we have harnessed it to the fullest as a country. From time to time, we have experienced security breaches that could have been nipped in the bud if only there was a robust synergy among relevant agencies,” Ezemonye said.
