By Demola Akinyemi Ilorin

A security expert and 2019 governorship aspirant in Kwara State, Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Ajia, has said that community policing, among others, remains the most effective framework for tackling the protracted challenge of insecurity in the country.

Ajia said the adoption of community policing would help security agencies to harvest information among locals, who he said, have become soft targets in the hands of violent non-state actors on account of their vulnerability.

He stated this in an interview with Journalists shortly after his formal defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at his political ward of Magaji Ngeri, Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State.

Ajia also cautioned against politicizing national security, warning that playing the opposition card on critical issues, particularly insecurity could undermine collective progress.

He urged the citizens to view Nigeria as a shared national project requiring cooperation and responsibility from all stakeholders.

Commenting on preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections, the APC chieftain confirmed that he had completed his formal registration with the party and described his defection as a symbolic move to support the re-election bid of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and to back the development agenda of Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

He added that several policies the federal government introduced were already beginning to yield positive outcomes, describing them as necessary reforms aimed at stabilizing the economy and steering the country away from collapse.

Ajia said they would mobilize across the nooks and crannies of the state for the re-election of President Tinubu for the country to move forward.

Ajia, also explained that recent events in the country showed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was committed to addressing security challenge in the country headlong, particularly with the appointment of the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, as Minister Defence.

He said the genuineness in the choice of the new minister was an indication that the country can’t afford to politicize insecurity.

The APC chieftain posited that the current security challenge confronting the country transcends a purely kinetic approach, saying that it requires the collective involvement of all Nigerians.

The security expert urged Nigerians to regard bandits as enemies of the state, stressing that national interest and the wellbeing of citizens must take precedence over political and religious differences.

“One of the major reasons that anchored our moving to APC is to support the government. Every patriotic Nigerian and every reasonable person today will have to come and support the government in fighting the insecurity. It is a reality, we have serious insecurity in this country. Kwara is having its own share.

“But some of us are saying the better approach to this is for all of us to come together and consider these elements as enemies of the state. With our background of security, knowledge of community policing, some of us know. My thesis for Doctor of Philosophy is Community Policing and National Security.

“So, some of the research we have carried out outside the practical experience I had while I was in the Police, we have reaffirmed and said the only way to tackle insecurity in Nigeria is for us to adopt the concept of community policing, and that is why we are now ready to work with the government of the day to create the awareness with the communities across Kwara State and Nigeria so that we can all see these elements as enemies of the state and not the enemies of any political parties.

“So, this is what led to our movement from the previous political party where we have parted with them on a very good note. I said to everybody, I had a wonderful time with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But for me, it is now time for the sake of national interest, national well being and our people. Today, we are now in the APC,” he said.

According to him, unity among citizens is essential to overcoming insecurity.