Insecurity: Forum deliberates on practical solutions, berates moral decadence

By Bukola Hameed

Ash-Shumuliyyah Forum, on Sunday, held its May edition to deliberate on practical solutions to insecurity, moral decadence and other socio-economic challenges confronting Nigeria at the Oyo Central Mosque, Akesan, Oyo.

The forum came amid growing concerns over insecurity in parts of Oyo State, including the recent kidnapping incident at Ahoro-Esiele community in Oriire Local Government Area, where gunmen reportedly abducted students and a school principal during an attack on schools in the area.

The event brought together Islamic scholars, security experts and civil society stakeholders who called for urgent moral reawakening, improved governance and community-based strategies to tackle worsening insecurity across the country.

Speaking at the event, the guest speaker, Sheikh Mustapha AbdulRauf from Department of Arabic, School of Secondary Education (Language Programme), Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo identified major challenges confronting the nation as economic instability, political instability, insecurity, hunger, banditry and kidnapping.

“Nigeria is blessed with abundant resources by Allah, yet the country is ravaged by hunger and insecurity because of bad leadership, injustice and moral decadence,” he said.

The cleric explained that Islam places high value on psychological, economic, moral and spiritual security, stressing that the objectives of Islamic law are designed to protect faith, life, property, intellect and lineage.

According to him, “Islam guarantees protection of faith, life, property, intellect and lineage. Any society that neglects these values will continue to face instability and insecurity.”

He attributed the security crisis to lack of enabling laws, injustice, an ineffective educational system, moral decadence and laziness among some members of society.

As part of the solutions, the scholar advocated strong belief in Allah, introduction of God-driven curricula in schools and deliberate efforts by parents to raise morally upright children.

“We need God-driven education, moral upbringing in families and sincere return to righteous values if we truly want peace and security in our society,” he added.

Also speaking, ASC Lawal Jeleel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Atiba Local Government Area, condemned the growing “get-rich-quick syndrome” among Nigerian youths, describing it as a dangerous trend fueling criminal activities.

“The desperation among some youths to get rich quickly is contributing greatly to insecurity and other criminal activities in the country,” he said.

He advised residents to adopt basic security precautions such as protecting passwords and SIM cards, avoiding careless exposure of mobile phones, limiting unnecessary late-night movement and discouraging children from running errands at odd hours.

The NSCDC officer further urged government at all levels to live up to their constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and property, while lamenting inadequate weaponry and operational facilities available to security agencies in combating crime.

“We need better support, adequate equipment and stronger collaboration from the government and the public to effectively tackle insecurity,” he stated.

Another speaker, Alhaji AbdulMumin AbdulAzeez popularly known as Alhaji Human Rights, emphasised the need to educate citizens on their rights and responsibilities while advocating improved surveillance and security awareness among the public.

He also called for the recruitment of more police officers, arguing that the current number of security personnel is grossly inadequate for Nigeria’s population.

“With about 371,800 police officers and roughly 231,000 military personnel protecting nearly 300 million Nigerians, it is clear that more recruitment and support are urgently needed,” he said.

He stressed that security agencies require greater institutional support, improved manpower and better operational capacity to effectively protect lives and property across the country.

Participants at the forum also referenced disturbing cases of child kidnapping and highlighted the importance of emergency response mechanisms, including the use of emergency numbers for rapid intervention.

Organisations represented at the event included the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN), NACOMYO and Anwarul Islam Muslim Youth, Pure Heary Islamic Foundation of Nigeria (PHF) among others.

The stakeholders collectively stressed that lasting peace and security can only be achieved through justice, moral discipline, effective leadership and collective responsibility among citizens.