Target Terrorists, Threats To National Security, Not Government Critics, Auwal Rafsanjani Tells Security Agencies

• Rafsanjani accuses security agencies of targeting critics instead of confronting terrorists threatening communities across Nigeria daily

Civil rights activist and Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, has accused Nigerian security agencies of focusing on critics of government policies instead of confronting terrorists and criminal groups worsening insecurity across the country.

Speaking in an interview on ARISE News on Sunday, Rafsanjani said security institutions must concentrate on addressing genuine threats to national security rather than intimidating citizens who express dissenting views.

“People who criticize policy, you should not waste your energy to go and start harassing them,” he said.

Rafsanjani argued that security agencies were neglecting individuals openly threatening the Nigerian state while clamping down on citizens criticising governance failures.

“Some people are out there challenging the Nigerian state, you know, Nigerian security, you know, daring them, showing their capacity and their capability in social media, challenging them. Nobody is going after them. But today, if you genuinely criticize any policy that promotes bad governance in Nigeria, somebody will come and arrest you. Somebody will come and brutalize you. We cannot continue in that manner.”

He also urged the Department of State Services (DSS) to redirect its operations towards tackling internal security threats.

“The DSS, please, should focus more on the real threat to internal, optimistic threat to Nigeria.”

The CISLAC Executive Director said insecurity had continued to spread across several states, with kidnappings and killings becoming frequent occurrences in communities.

“Every community you go in now is having a challenge. Just recently, some people went and kidnapped school children in Oyo State, in Zampara, in Sokoto. It’s a daily killing. It’s a daily thing.”

Rafsanjani maintained that restoring public trust in security agencies was critical to improving intelligence gathering and cooperation from citizens.

“Any Nigerian that goes to police station to provide any information, they are afraid that they will be framed,” he said.

“You cannot defeat criminality and terrorism when people are not cooperating because of the fear that they may be implicated or they may be extorted for saying information that can help the security.”

He called on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to prioritise comprehensive security sector reforms and improve coordination among security institutions.

“We need to do something to address the lack of cooperation, coordination, partnership in sharing and reduce unhealthy competition,” Rafsanjani said.

Arise TV