The Department of State Security (DSS) has identified insecurity as a major threat to the 2019 general election.
The DSS Director General, Lawal Daura, raised the alarm in a presentation he made before the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Review of the Current Security Infrastructure in Nigeria.
The committee is headed by Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan.
Presenting a 38-page report at the Senate Plenary on Wednesday, Lawan said Daura told the committee that Nigeria may witness violence “with all the hate speeches and insecurity prevailing in the polity.”
The lawmaker quoted the DSS boss as saying “the country is getting more divided like never before due to the lack of synergy between the traditional institutions and the security agencies, as well as hate speeches that have dominated the political space.”
Lawan further explained that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Yusuf Buratai, on his part, identified the country’s major security challenges to include Boko Haram threats, militancy, cultism, secessionist and extremist groups, inter-ethnic, religious and communal violence.
Buratai was also reportedly expressed concern over inadequate intelligence information sharing mechanisms among security agencies, inadequate resourcing of security agencies, administration of criminal justice system, porous borders and poor border controls, poverty, unemployment and lack of opportunities and cultural and social impediments.
Lawan said the committee observed that the security agencies require professional skills, equipment and technology to contain security issues, adding that the agencies lack critical equipment and where they existed, they are obsolete.
Also on Wednesday, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) released its electoral violence risk assessment in Nigeria.
The agency suggested possible escalation of electoral violence before the 2019 general elections.
The outcome of the U.S agency’s research findings equally identified Rivers, Kano, Kaduna and Ekiti states, among others, with high risk of political violence in Nigeria.
The research scope, which covered between March and April 2018, was conducted in eight states, including Kano, Kaduna, Ekiti, Adamawa, Plateau, Anambra, Lagos and Rivers.
A fellow of USIP, Mr. Aly Verjee, who presented the abridged report of the research findings in Kano, said change in the narrative of insecurity in the country, farmers/herdsmen dispute, communal and ethnic crisis presently frustrating the fragile peace, are capable of preventing smooth conduct of elections in 2019.
Verjee, in a paper titled “Nigeria’s 2019 elections: Change, Continuity and the Risk to Peace, Summary of Key Findings, “said the spade of political instability and internal crisis, especially in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), could worsen the enduring democratic system before the elections.
He said the credibility doubt against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deliver high expectations when compared to the relative improved performance in 2015 general elections might spark needless violence by the electorate.
He was quoted as saying: “The first ever peaceful transition of power in 2015 raised expectations for the government performance. Many feel their hopes have not been met.
“With this disappointment, we gathered there may be general voter-apathy, particularly from the stronghold of the ruling party and high turn-out in the opposition areas.
“The implication for electoral violence is first, there is possible violence as the ruling party may use intimidating tactics to shore up the votes while similar intimidation could be applied to deter large turn-out of electorate in the opposition strongholds.”
Verjee cautioned INEC and security agencies to strictly adhere to the constitutional responsibilities devoid of bias, partisanship and undue influence.