Insecurity: Remove Age Barrier On Recruitment Of Security Agents- ADAPHAI Tells FG

A Civil Society Organisation working on peace advocacy in Nigeria, Advocacy for Advancement of Peace &Harmony in Africa Initiative (ADAPHAI) has urged the Federal Government to henceforth remove age barrier in the recruitment process of security agents, considering the present security challenge in the country.

ADAPHAI argued that several individuals with requisite zeal, capacity and patriotism to contribute substantially in the fight against insecurity have been denied the opportunity as a result of the policy of age barrier.

This was contained in a statement signed by the National Coordinator of the organisation, Comrade Sulaimon Suberu on Monday in Abuja, against the backdrop of the recent surge in criminal activities of insurgents and bandits in the Northern part of Nigeria.

The statement noted that the Federal Government must quickly look inward and change it’s policies on internal security for better outcome adding that doing the same thing in the same way always end up in failure.

According to the statement, the methodology of engagement in internal security arrangement must not be static but dynamic in all ramifications because of the evolving global environment, especially with the advent of internet which has made the world a global enclave.

It further suggested the need to strengthen Forest Guard and decentralise it across all the states of the federation to entrench sanity in forests across Nigeria and immediately stop criminal activities.

The statement read,” It is now expedient for the Federal Government to immediately direct all the security agencies to as a matter of importance remove the age barrier clause from their recruitment process and allow all Nigerians who are willing and fit to serve the county to do so.

“Obviously, our organisation through comprehensive investigation has discovered that there are many Nigerians with necessary capacity, zeal, integrity and bravery to serve in various security formations in Nigeria who have been denied the opportunity as a result of this age barrier.

“Sincerely, the present security situation in Nigeria does not give room for such consideration, we can not continue to do the same thing in the same way and expect different results. How has this illogical age barrier helped us to solve our security quagmire?

“In the same vein, the Federal Government must quickly restructure Forest Guard and decentralise it by giving the sub-national governments powers to establish Forest Guards in their domains and arm then with assault rifles to quickly stop various criminal activities in forests across Nigeria”.