A rights advocate and legal practitioner, Sir Leonard Anyogo, had asserted that the most powerful weapon against insecurity in Nigeria is not more guns or checkpoints, rather it’s putting the people first.
Sir Anyogo, who heads the Good Governance Advocacy International, says when citizens feel protected, heard, and served by their leaders, the cycle of violence begins to break.
Anyogo was speaking at a Security Summit in Calabar, jointly hosted by the Cross River State Government and the Department of State Services. He told newsmen after the summit that Cross River’s turnaround from a once-troubled state offers a blueprint worth copying at both federal and state levels.
According to him, the state’s improved security didn’t come by accident. He credited a mix of proactive policing, deep community involvement, and a deliberate effort to safeguard citizens’ rights. He urged security agencies across the country to drop the rivalry and work as one team. He said turf wars among security agencies only weaken the fight against crime.
Anyogo also emphasised that no security strategy can succeed without community trust. He said when people believe their government genuinely has their back, they move from being passive observers or collaborators in crime to become willing partners in intelligence-gathering and crime prevention.
