Former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Kingsley Moghalu, has criticized Nigeria’s security agencies for prioritizing regime protection over the safety of Nigerian lives and property.
Moghalu’s remarks come in the wake of allegations that police officers have been involved in the killings of protesters during nationwide demonstrations.
In a post on his X handle on Monday, Moghalu expressed his concerns about the mindset of Nigeria’s security forces. He stated, “@PoliceNG & other security agencies in Nigeria have an unfortunate mindset.”
“Their number one priority is regime protection, not the protection of Nigerian lives and property. That is why they have a wanton disregard for the lives of protesters, & is why kidnapping, and terrorism reign.”
Moghalu emphasized that this focus on regime protection has led to a significant neglect of citizen safety, contributing to the prevalence of kidnapping and terrorism in the country.
He argued that if security agencies were to address criminal activities with the same intensity and determination they use against protesters, the overall security situation in Nigeria would be markedly improved.
“If they were to confront criminality with the ferocity and determination they exhibit toward citizens who are protesting hunger, our security situation would be vastly different and improved. The Nigerian state has little regard for its citizens, political rhetorics aside”