Gov Wike Prescribes Security Intelligence As Panacea To End Gunmen Issue

Governor Wike of Rivers State has prescribed security intelligence as panacea to end gunmen issue.

As the hydra-headed issue of insecurity stares Nigeria in the face in the days prior to the 2023 General Elections, one of the contestants for the presidency has listed the procurement of security intelligence as the surest way to gunmen issue in the South East of Nigeria.

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, who did say how to end bandit terrorism as well as terrorist herders and their Boko Haram and ISWAP counterparts, has said the best way to tame the gunmen wreaking havoc in the South East is to invest in security intelligence.

The governor who is also seeking the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2023 election, stated this in an interview with BBC Pidgin.

According to Wike, fighting insecurity is beyond procuring weapons, urging the government to be proactive in tackling the challenges in the Southeast by prioritizing intelligence gathering.

When asked to identify the gunmen, the governor declined, saying “since they said the gunmen are unknown, so they remain unknown.”

According to him, “It is not just about procuring weapons for the security operatives, government needs to spend money on intelligence. When Russia was about to invade Ukraine, Ukrainian forces were not aware but America, because of their intelligence, alerted Ukraine.

“You don’t need to wait till an incident occurs before you act. Governance is all about protecting lives and property, if you are not good at that, you have no business with the government.

“If everybody is dead, who would use the infrastructure you are putting up.”