Security experts and stakeholders have called on the Federal Government to criminalise ransom payments to terrorists, describing it as the biggest betrayal in the war against insurgency in Nigeria.

Experts who condemned the menace, especially when the government secretly paid terrorists’ ransom, said that such practice only further encouraged and deepened insecurity in the country.

They, however, urged the FG to create state police to combat terrorism, in order to put a stop to the payment of ransom to criminals, and stressed that necessary structures must be put in place before embarking on such policing reform.

The experts made the disclosure while appearing on Boiling Point, a popular media platform transmitted by six radio stations, powered by the National Association of Seadogs, Ash Montana Deck.

Speaking, a US Army veteran and retired Major, Yinka Ogunsanya, opposed ransom payments to terrorists, saying such activities encourage the menace in communities in Nigeria.

Ogunsanya, who supported the creation of state police in Nigeria, cautioned the FG against blindly adopting the American state policing system, citing the complexity of crimes and societal differences.

He explained that the system comprises multiple layers, including state police, county police, rangers, and sheriffs, which work together in synergy to achieve their goals.

Ogunsanya urged the Federal Government and the states to sit down with the communities to evolve the best model centred on intelligence from the grassroots.

He said, “Government ransom payment is what is empowering the terrorists and further deepening insecurity. The practice of paying ransom to these criminals is a betrayal of the anti-insurgency war”.

“Nigeria must adopt the global standard for intelligence-led, localised operations while maintaining federal oversight of cross-border crimes. One of the primary ‘pros’ of local police is proximity.”

“State policing allows for quicker response times to distress calls, as the chain of command is localised and less hindered by the bureaucratic bottlenecks of the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

“Local officers speak the language, know the families, and understand the historical grievances of their communities. This creates a ‘home-court advantage’ in intelligence gathering that a centrally deployed officer from a distant region simply cannot match,” he noted.

Another speaker, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Mr Leye Oyebade, also supported the creation of state police but listed several issues to address, including community involvement, building patriotism, intelligence sharing, and trust and confidence.

DIG Oyebade traced the challenges of the Nigerian policing system to a faulty foundation, tribalism, inadequate manpower and training, and the dynamism of crime in the face of evolving technology.

Oyebade stated that the fears of critics regarding possible politicisation and the use of the State Police for persecution were possible, particularly when a State fell into the wrong hands as governor.

He said, “The architecture to be put in place must consider interstate synergy and sharing of roles. The prevalence of crime types varies from one state to another. Without this synergy, a suspect can run from one state to hide in another”.

“When we didn’t have digital technology and mobile phones, cybercrimes were not in our laws. With the evolution of technology, the demand for training officers and men is not only imperative but calls for very high funding of policing”, he added.

While delivering the keynote on the topic: “Decentralised Security Architecture: Redefining Federal and States Roles in State Policing as Nigeria Battles Escalating Insecurity”, the Olowu of Owu, Oba Prof. Saka Matemilola, said that the issues of delay in response, inadequate manpower, fear of governors abusing state police for private use, political persecution and funding were discussed.