Security experts have called on the federal government to put measures in place to stimulate economic growth in order to curb the security challenges confronting the nation.

The experts in separate interviews in Abuja on Tuesday, said there was a connection between economic hardship and insecurity.

Sani Abubakar, a scholar of military studies, said the nation’s security landscape had been in a state of “negative peace,” siting a report by the Institute of Economics and Peace.

Mr Abubakar said there was frustration, and anger in the country because of economic  hardship.

According to him, criminals have transformed from petty thieves to kidnappers and bandits.

He said lack of development at the grassroots was fueling insecurity.  

“Our local government areas are a shadow of themselves while the state governors and their stooges siphon all the resources of the local government. Thus, there are opportunities for the youth across the local government areas,” he said.

To the credit of the President Bola Tinubu administration, Abdullahi Jabi, secretary-general of the International Institute of Professional Security (IIPS), said the last one year had been historic in the fight against insecurity across the country.

Mr Jabi said the government recorded a reduction in the activities of terrorists and bandits, despite some soft target attacks in some parts of the country.

He commended the efforts of the government in tackling kidnapping, terrorism, farmers-herders clashes and other security challenges in the last one year.

In ensuring total victory against insecurity, Jabi called for concerted efforts toward total rehabilitation of people affected by insecurity who were forced to live in IDPs camps.

According to him, the federal government should do more on social security, particularly in the Northern states, by making basic education compulsory.

“Also, skill acquisition should be made compulsory for teenagers. Social security should be introduced and the citizens relieved of economic hardship caused by fuel subsidy removal.

“Secondly, government must do everything within its ambit to ensure that 33 per cent to 35 per cent inflation in the procurement of goods and services should be reduced as much as possible by setting up tax force on agriculture and commodity sales.

“This is because people can no longer feed now and that is creating more criminals, terrorists, armed robbers and gangsters among youths.

“Until punitive measures are put in place, things will continue to escalate and then the government may likely lose control,” he said. 

(NAN)