Ex-Army Chief Blames Weak Policing for Rise of Terrorism
Nigeria’s failure to build an effective and people-oriented police force laid the foundation for the rise of Boko Haram and other violent groups across the country, former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.), said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the 7th annual public lecture on national security in Abuja, organized by JustFriendsClub, a socio-philanthropic association on the theme: ‘Nigeria’s Security Challenges and the Quest for National Cohesion: A New Paradigm for Internal Security Architecture and Governance
Dambazau faulted successive governments for neglecting the police and leaving national security solely in the hands of the military.
According to him, the Nigerian Armed Forces have been overstretched beyond their constitutional role due to weak policing, poor intelligence coordination, and lack of preventive security structures.
“If we had fixed the Nigerian Police earlier, Boko Haram wouldn’t have existed. We would have dealt with the early signs of radicalisation before it grew into full-blown terrorism,” Dambazau said.
The former Minister of of Interior lamented that the country’s security system was designed more to protect governments in power than to serve the people, warning that until Nigeria prioritises human security, military interventions alone would remain insufficient.
Dambazau stressed that the country’s approach to internal security must change from “reactionary force” to “community-based prevention,” anchored on trust, intelligence, and collaboration.
“You cannot fight insecurity from Abuja; it begins from the grassroots. The police should be the first line of defence, not the Army,” he said.
He also called for comprehensive reforms in the police recruitment, training, and welfare system, saying the force must be insulated from political interference.
Earlier in his welcome address, the president of the association, Fred Ohwahwa, urged Nigerians to take responsibility for fixing their internal problems instead of waiting for external actors to intervene.
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“Let us put our house in order so that they will have no excuse to come over here. Our inability to tackle banditry, kidnapping, and other security allergies does not give us a serious mission. We can do better,” he said.
Ohwahwa described the lecture as timely, coming amid global scrutiny of Nigeria’s security situation following U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent comments threatening military action over alleged Christian persecution.
He praised Dambazau as “a strategist, a patriot, and someone who has firsthand experience at the highest level of national security,” urging participants to “listen actively and engage thoughtfully” toward building a safer Nigeria.
On his part, Prof. Tonnie Iredia, former Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and chairman of the occasion, challenged Nigerians and civil society groups to speak out more forcefully on national issues, lamenting the growing culture of silence in the face of failure.
“Why can’t the police be pushed to do its job? Why is civil society in Nigeria so docile that things go wrong and everyone remains quiet?” he asked.
He said civic education, strong community engagement, and effective communication were vital in reversing insecurity.
“If we saturate rural areas with the correct information about security, it won’t be easy to radicalise people,” he said. “The National Orientation Agency must take the message from house to house. People believe more in what their neighbours tell them than in distant propaganda.”
Prof. Iredia commended journalists for highlighting critical governance issues but urged them to go further by sustaining public discourse on national security and reform.
“The media should let Nigerians know that in serious-minded locations like this, real solutions are being discussed — and we must follow up”, he noted.
The lecture, attended by military officers, journalists, academics, and civil society leaders, ended with a shared call for renewed police reform, civic engagement, and national orientation to build a safer, more accountable Nigeria.
By PRNigeria
