Militants (file photo)

By Richard Elesho/ Lokoja

Security problems in Nigeria will soon become a thing of the past. This will happen when the National Force, NATFORCE, a new security initiative of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS becomes fully operational.

These were the assurances of Emmanuel Morakinyo, the Kwara State Director of the new outfit while interacting with Journalists in Ilorin, the State capital. He said the outfit which focuses on intelligence is already operating in 15 West African countries and has potentials for massive job creation.

Morakinyo, who said that officers and men of the NATFORCE had arrested criminals and rustlers that were making life unbearable for people in some states of the federation, added that such arrested criminals were handed over to the Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps offices and the Police for prosecution.

“We are very optimistic that we will soon bring an end to most of our insecurity problems in Nigeria, including banditry, militancy and kidnapping and invariably create employment opportunities for the youth across the nation.

“We shall synergize with other government agencies for the purpose of ending kidnapping, political violence, all forms of cultism among our youth, which are not bringing peace to our communities through sharing of intelligence information to other security agencies and application of community policing strategy, which is part of government policy to combating crimes and criminality in Nigeria”, he said.

The NATFORCE Director, who lamented increasing rate of cultism among primary and secondary students in the country, said that members of such groups later turned out to be pickpockets, thugs, killers and armed robbers.

“More worrisome trend is the involvement of minors, both males and females, in cultism and crimes. Most shocking is the fact that after initiating these underaged boys and girls into cultism, they are further introduced to robbery and other forms of criminalities. NATFORCE is ready to regulate all these forms of crimes”, he said.

He also said that the NATFORCE, based on national commission for the prohibition of illegal importation of small arms, ammunition and light weapons, was charged with the responsibility to regulate and prohibit proliferation of small arms, ammunition, light weapons and other related matters.

Morakinyo said that the new national executive had nullified every letter signed for NATFORCE and claimed to be signed for an on behalf of its director-general, Chief Osita Emmanuel Okereke, adding that the measure was taken to curb problems among officers and men of the federal government agency in some state commands.

He enjoined members of the public to disregard such associations impersonating the NATFORCE, describing them as impersonators and extortionists.