The rate of insecurity now in Nigeria is cause for serious concern. It is no news that the country is fraught with acts of terrorism, insurgency, kidnapping, militancy and armed conflicts.
Scores of public institutions have come under attack from these acts of terrorism, they include the 26 August 2011 devastating bomb assault on the United Nations House, which left scores dead; the attack in June 2011 on Louis Edet House Police Headquarters, Abuja, and also on the eve of the April general elections and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Suleja, killing scores of people and wounding others. The attacks on places of worship, media houses and telecoms facilities are a recurring decimal.

Writing under the topic “Sustainable peace and security-  Challenges to Nigerian internal security”, Afam Obi, NBA PRO observed that gradually the image of Nigeria is being dented before the international community and this is affecting foreign investments and other opportunities.

Afam Obi noted that most of these countries have advised their citizens not to visit some states in Nigeria due to the current security challenges, thus having a multiplier effect on our GDP.

He said that social commentators are of the view that some of these security challenges are caused by corruption, marginalization, unemployment and lack of adequate intelligence by security agencies. If one is to take a cursory look at the Nigerian political landscape, you would see that the issue of insecurity and conflict has always reared its ugly head in one way or the other.

“This has informed several organizations and stakeholders to have convened summits on security aimed at proffering solutions to the problem.

“As a stakeholder in the Nigerian polity, the Nigerian Bar Association with over 80,000 lawyers in its membership its 100 branches spread across the country, has deemed it fit to bring stakeholders together to brainstorm on ways of putting an end to this malaise,” he said.