Kalu Proposes New Outfit To Curb Rising Insecurity

Former governor of Abia State and Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has called for the creation of a new community-based security outfit to tackle Nigeria’s rising insecurity.

Kalu, who supported comments by US President Donald Trump, drew inspiration from the defunct Bakassi Boys, which successfully curbed violent crimes in the South East during his tenure as governor.

Speaking with journalists at the National Assembly in Abuja, Kalu lamented that insecurity across the country had reached a dangerous level, stressing that only a homegrown, people-oriented security structure could complement the efforts of the military and other security agencies.

He said, “When I was governor, I formed the Bakassi Boys, and they were not about boyfriend and girlfriend; they were about criminals.

“If we had that kind of structure now, we would smoke these criminals out. They helped us then, and such initiatives can help Nigeria again.”

He warned that terrorists and bandits were determined to destabilise the nation and called for synergy between citizens and the armed forces.

“Our people must support the military by giving information. No army fights and wins without the cooperation of its citizens,” he stated.

Kalu assured that President Bola Tinubu’s administration was giving security the highest priority and that the military, under the current leadership, had intensified efforts to “smoke out” jihadists and criminal elements from their hideouts.

The senator also spoke on the need for international collaboration in Nigeria’s anti-terror war, saying intelligence sharing and strategic support from allies like the United States were vital to defeating the insurgents.

Kalu, therefore, backed the Trump comments, which condemned the killing of Christians in Nigeria, insisting that Trump only “stated the truth” about the realities on the ground.

“What Donald Trump said, is it a lie? The answer is no. Nigerians are being killed, whether Christians or Muslims. When terrorists go to churches in Plateau, those killed are Christians.

“In Benue, it’s mostly Christians. In Zamfara, when they attack mosques, it’s Muslims. These people are jihadists; they just want to destroy Nigeria.”

Kalu said he believed Trump’s statement was informed by U.S. intelligence reports, which may have guided the renewed military operations in parts of the country.

“You can see in the last few days that the Nigerian Air Force has been bombing their hideouts, that’s how it should be. We must not pity terrorists,” he stressed.