Minister seeks private security outfits to tackle insecurity

WORRIED by the rising spate of insecurity in the country, Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has canvassed the setting up of private security firms to tackle the menace, saying they should be prepared to fill some gaps.

He stated this yesterday in Calabar, Cross River State, at a retreat organised by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps ( NSCDC) in collaboration with the Association of Licensed Private Security Practitioners of Nigeria ( ALPSPN) with the theme: “New Dynamics for Security Practice in Nigeria,”

He stressed that with the present situation in the country, “there is no doubt that Nigeria needs private security firms.”

Aregbesola, who was represented by his Senior Special Adviser on Strategy, Ademola Adeyinka, said the need for private security firms was because Nigeria has a ratio of 187 policemen to 1000 persons according to the United Nations ( UN) figures.

“But in the United States, it is 238, 362 in Northern Ireland, 211 in England and Wales and as high as 455 in Portugal and 515 to 1,000 persons in Russia.

“In a situation where there is shortage of personnel, there must be challenges and that is where private security firms will fill the gap and they should be prepared to play some roles,” he said

The minister said the private outfits should provide security for their clients at the lower level, prepare their personnel to assist security agencies with gathering and transmission of critical information, as well as standardised training and remuneration, as government would like to partner with them in establishing training and certification institutes for all categories of private security concerns.