If the Nigeria Police and other security agencies provide the same level of security they provide during elections to areas that are under attack by bandits, Nigerians will not be slaughtered and kidnapped the way they are being attacked today.
For the just-concluded Anambra State gubernatorial election, about 60,000 security agents were deployed for the exercise.
While the police alone had 45,000 personnel, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) had 10,000 personnel.
Others were from the army, NDLEA, Immigration, and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
Each time there are elections at the state level, the police authorities would deploy thousands of policemen to maintain peace.
It is surprising that similar number of security agents are not always deployed to areas under attacks by terrorists or bandits who invade communities.
Nigerians are always inundated with news and stories of how bandits invade communities without resistance from the security agents.
Not for once have people seen thousands of security operatives deployed to areas facing security threats.
After the killings of over 200 persons in Yelwata community in the Guma Local Government Area of Benue State recently, it took President Bola Tinubu to order the service chiefs and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to arrest those behind the dastardly killings.
President Tinubu had said: “Kayode, how come no arrest has been made? I expect there should be an arrest of those criminals.”
It was only then that the IG announced that 28 persons had been arrested. Till date, nobody knows what has happened to these suspects.
Many believe that because elections are for the interest of the ruling class, who are aspiring to various offices, the voters are better protected during elections and allowed to die in the hands of terrorists when elections are over.
The IG and the service chiefs should provide the same level of security available during elections to areas that are under attack because it is only those who are alive that vote.
Nigerians want to see that their lives are protected under any circumstance, not only during elections. It is time for the leaders of security agencies to think outside the box.
