Expert cautions Nigerians against linking crimes to tribe, religion
By Elizabeth Ogunjobi
A security consultant, Dr Agodi Kanu has urged Nigerians to shun linking crimes to tribe or religion, to foster peace, tolerance and national cohesion.
Kanu, who is an expert in community policing, and a visiting trainer at the Nigeria Police Force Training School, warned that such narratives could threaten national unity.
He said this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Monday.
Kanu said that the growing tendency of stereotyping an entire ethnic group or community and linking them to crimes such as kidnapping, banditry and terrorism would only deepen division and undermine national unity.
He warned against judging a particular tribe or ethnic group by the actions of a few criminals, who do not represent the values of the generality of their people.
The expert stressed that Nigerians must shun acts capable of threatening national unity, adding that, “crime is not unique to any tribe or religion.”
Kanu noted that some elements were using generalisation to commit crimes in certain parts of the country, and blamed a particular tribe or religion.
“Crime is everywhere, criminality is not limited to a particular section of the country, religion or gender.
“It is a universal thing; we have heard and seen when people talk about kidnapping, the first thing that comes to mind is a certain tribe or group.
“We also know that some criminal elements leverage on that nomenclature to carry out crimes in different forms with the mindset that it is by herdsmen from a certain tribe.
“We see people from certain communities or certain religion among themselves carry out crimes,” he said.
He explained that crimes when perpetrated by anyone living outside a given community do not happen in isolation.
According to Kanu, crimes require the connivance of an insider (resident), who understands the language, and is familiar with the terrain and location.
He advised Nigerians to be more involved in the security of their communities by heeding advices by security agencies.
The expert stressed the need for the communities to come together to form strong security networks, empower the youths and give them hope.
He urged the government to invest in technology to tackle emerging security threats, adding that without such innovations, it would be difficult to win the war against banditry, insurgency and other criminalities.
Kanu also advised security agencies to use social media with caution to avoid disclosing classified information, which criminals could use to evade security operations.
“Finish up your operation and then share your success because these criminals are also on social media to monitor every of your moves.
“They have people who are technologically inclined, they analyse opinions and strategies to frustrate the effort of the government.” he said.
