Adisa Bolanta, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police from Kwara State served as Commissioner of Police in Oyo, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Imo States, and also commanded the Police Academy in Kano. Renowned for his grasp of security management and firm stance on professionalism in policing, Bolanta speaks about the rising wave of insecurity in Kwara and its root causes.
The insecurity situation has reached a worrying point lately in Kwara State. Can you put the situation in perspective?
This issue of insecurity is both a national and international phenomenon. In Nigeria, we sleep with fire on the roof and do not care until it engulfs the whole house. Crime is like a virus, and once it affects a community, if not checked, it spreads. It began in Zamfara State as a local problem but was not properly handled. As Commissioner of Police in Sokoto between 2011 and 2012, that stretch of road from Sokoto to the Zamfara border was heavily policed, and there were few incidents. But once you entered Zamfara, the story was different. Because the federal government and the states did not act decisively then, the problem spread to neighbouring states.
Our security system is weak and subject to political interference. The police, who are central to internal security, are not adequately equipped. Kwara used to be a state of harmony, but because it borders Niger, Kogi, and Kebbi states, all of which face security challenges, complacency has made us vulnerable. We kept saying nothing was happening here while ignoring the signs.
Another factor is greed among our people. Foreign elements could not have settled here without locals giving them land and accommodation. Suspicious activities like sudden wealth, motorcycles, and movements were ignored. The vigilante system has also been monetised, making it less effective. What we need is genuine community partnership with the police, not roadblocks by poorly trained individuals.
Recently, there was an attack in Babanla and Oke Ode where 12 people were killed. The government deployed more security to the area.
Deployment of troops is necessary, but it will achieve little without community cooperation. Even if you send one million men, without timely information from the locals, they will be walking in circles. Security agencies are not magicians. The government must provide the enabling environment, but the people must provide information. If your neighbour’s son returns late with stolen goods, why not inform the police? That is how communities protect themselves.
Some residents are calling for the establishment of military formations or barracks in troubled areas. Do you think this will help?
No internal security is not primarily a military responsibility. Unfortunately, we have overused the military, turning them into policemen, which is wrong. Their role in internal security is temporary, to assist during crises and return to barracks once normalcy is restored. What we need is a properly equipped police force and supporting agencies like the Civil Defence. Building barracks will not solve anything if there are no logistics and mobility for the units.
There are also suggestions that states in the North Central should adopt a regional security network like Amotekun in the Southwest. Do you support this idea?
We have to be very careful with the idea of arming local or regional security outfits. On the surface, it may look like a solution, but in reality, it can be dangerous for a country like Nigeria that is deeply divided along tribal and ethnic lines. Let us learn from Sudan. That country once had its regular military establishment but later created another armed group called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to help deal with the Darfur rebellion. At first, the RSF succeeded in quelling the insurgency in Darfur. But instead of being dismantled after the war, the RSF continued to exist side by side with the army. Over time, rivalry set in. The RSF began to see itself as an alternative power bloc to the regular military. That rivalry eventually exploded into a full-blown civil war. Today, Sudan is in its third year of conflict between its national army and the RSF. The country is practically destroyed. More than half of its 16 million people have been displaced internally and externally, all because of that parallel security structure. This is why I do not support the creation of parallel security agencies in Nigeria. If our police are properly funded, properly equipped, and properly motivated, they are more than capable of handling internal security challenges. What we need is to strengthen the existing structure, not duplicate it with another armed group that may later become a rival force
Locals have claimed that helicopters supply arms to bandits in forests. From your experience, is this possible?
No, it is not possible. Those are social media stories. Military aircraft are sent to destroy bandits, not to aid them.
Do you think external forces are involved?
I do not believe so. The main issue is our porous borders. Climate change has worsened conditions in countries like Niger, Chad, Mali, and Burkina Faso, forcing herders south into Nigeria. Some of them are criminal elements. But the real tragedy is that our own sons and communities collaborate with them. Our problem is local, and we must look inward to solve it.
Some have called on the government to convert their hideout in the forest to productive use. What is your opinion?
All the state government needs to do is mobilise the people of the area, because they are the ones who know the in-out of the forest and can collate the necessary information that will lead to pinpointing the bandits’ location. Then the military and other security agencies can cordon off the area and storm it. What is important is to ensure the information is genuine, and the authorities should co-opt the locals to assist the security agencies. On whether the forest should be converted, the place has been there for years with no history of kidnapping. What we are seeing is a new phenomenon and the government need not convert it into anything. Even if the agencies have all the electronic surveillance systems, local input is still very important. In the north east, the Civilian JTF assists the military tremendously by providing useful and timely information.
The government has been accused of being slow to act on this issue. Where do you think we went wrong?
I do not want to blame anybody. Nigerians know how to shift blame. Those who say the government was informed earlier should ask who among them reported it to the authorities and what action they took. The government is often slow to act if they are not sure of the facts. If something is happening in a place and nobody reports it to the appropriate agency, it means nothing happened there. But when the problem becomes endemic, we accuse the government of failing to act. That is why it is important to report any incident promptly to the appropriate authority so the place can receive special attention. Everybody must be involved. If the military clears the forest and withdraws, other security agencies such as the police and vigilantes must remain.