Border Security-Mainstreaming Trained and Funded Nigeria Police
Needs assessment is a process for determining how to fill the gaps between a current and desired outcome in organization. It helps to determine what is needed to be accomplished to reach a project goals. Needs assessment helps decision makers engage better initiative peculiar to existing problem take advantage of existing reality and avoid costly mistakes in finding solutions.
As we converge to discuss future policy implementation issues and challenges of Border Security, there is need to have on hand needs assessment of countries this will help understand the underlying drivers of each country’s border insecurity.
China for example has fourteen neighbors along its land borders and faces Japan, Republic of Korea, Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei across the sea with their diverse cultures and complicated relations which present a grave security situation in china borders (Chinese journal of international affairs).
Research confirms that Russia shatters and splints its borderlands, from Dombes in Europe to Damascus in Asia, Russia’s vast Eurasians borderlands have become the kremlin buffer zones to nearly uninterrupted expanse of conflicts in the last two decade. Russia has exploited existing regional conflicts and cleavages and created new ones. In doing so, it exclusively preventing its neighboring states from consolidating into more organic regional entity.
Border insecurity in Central America’s Northern Triangle is not new. Government in El-Salvador, Gautemala and Hunduras have historically neglected their hinterlands and pourious borders with Mexican drug traffickers taking advantage of uncontrolled borders to constitute a threat to peace. The Maghreb countries of Morroco, Algeria and Tunisia face threats to their borders from transitional illicit networks such as terrorist groups (peace brief Sept.19, 2016). In Nigeria increasing border security personnel with well trained and funded police can be of great value. Mainstreaming Nigeria police into what can be Border Special Forces which comprises border securities like custom service, immigration service, NDLEA. Joint forces all over the world with coordinated collaboration with global borders Agencies have proved effective, with only surveillance equipment the south Korean Border troops after issuing a level 2 alert cut a man believed to be either a spy or a defector from North Korea. This action was professionally executed even when forward fencing sensors on the fences which are designed to automatically sound an alarm when someone is dictated approaching malfunctioned.
The cause of Border insecurity in Sahel Region may be totally different from the cause of border conflict Between Bulgarians and northern Macedonia, while some causes can be due to effect of climate change, others can be more of international politics and diplomacy, after the Australian soldiers approaching the out skirt of the east Timorese hamlet came under heavy attack by Indonesian police the review of the cause of incident only found out that the location of border differs in each country’s maps hence to avoid further border conflict one kilometer exclusion zone was established on each side of the Indonesian- east Timor land border.
Mainstreaming a well and funded Nigerian Police to a unified National Border Special Force is a necessity to Nigeria border to curtail border insecurity. Sinking political differences Nationally and Internationally taking advantage of the reward of global co-operation has become expedient World Border Security Congress should also constitute a Civil Society working group saddled with the mandate of complimenting agencies effort of communicating latest threat to peace in our borders and to eliminating early warning signals capable of degenerating to full blown border conflict.
By Martin Igwe, The Director Media & Advocacy, West African Action Network on Small Arms (WAANSA Nigeria)
