Overview of Current Security Situations in Nigeria
In Nigeria, available data shows that crime and insecurity have been very high in the last ten years and the country is still experiencing a sharp rise in criminal activities of various dimensions (Alemika & Chukwuma, 2005). Salay (2005) asserts that cases of high profile criminalities and politically motivated killings, ethno-religious violence, kidnapping for ransom and terrorism have recently worsened the crime problem in Nigeria. In addition, organized and non-organized crime and other vices, proliferation of small arms and light weapons, armed robberies, cross border crimes, money laundering, murder, rape, cyber-crime, carjacking, and human trafficking have become serious security issues of concern to the government and security agencies.
In a press briefing on the state of security in Lagos on November 22, 2011, the then Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Umar Tamko, confirmed the rising cases of armed robbery attacks in the state. According to him 61 armed robbery cases were reported in 2011 as against 48 in 2010. Armed robbers killed 164 persons in 2011, as against 124 in 2010. In the same period under review, 319 persons were murdered in 2011 as against 204 in 2010. The Police Commissioner also affirmed that between September 2007 and September, 2011 a total of 124 Police Officers were killed by armed robbers (Ugbodaga, 2011). Similarly, in another press briefing on November 27, 2014, the immediate past Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kayode Aderanti, stated that between November 2013 and October 2014, 68 cases of armed robbery were recorded while 280 people were murdered. In the same period, 8 Policemen lost their lives to armed robbery operations (Olufowobi, 2014). On a daily basis, armed robbers, kidnappers, rapists, burglars and other criminals carry out their attacks on the public in daylight and at night with impunity, as if government law enforcement agents are non-existent. The state of insecurity in the country is manifested in increase in crime rate; the emergence and spread of politically motivated violence and assassinations; increased importation of arms and ammunition; an upsurge in ethnic, communal and religious conflicts; proliferation of ethnic and sectional militias; and the deteriorating standard of living of the people. More so, between 2006 and 2015 about 8, 516 deaths were reported in 3,840 violent crimes cases. Armed robbery was reported to have contributed 50% of all death cases recorded (Ukoji & Okolie-Osemene, 2016). More so, in its 2017 report, National Bureau of Statistics stated that a total of 125,790 criminal cases were reported in Nigeria in 2016. It went on to state that Lagos State had about 45,384 (36.1%) cases as against 13,181(10.1%) cases) reported in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The statistics also show that property crime had about 65,397 followed by crime against person which accounted for about 45,554 cases. The South-West had the highest number of cases which was about 19,939 followed by South-South with about 8,877 cases while South-East had the least cases of about 3,540 cases (National Bureau of Statistics, 2017). The implication is that Nigeria generally has a crime problem and government seemingly lacks the wherewithal to contain the menace. This background provides the basis for the emergence of private security companies to complement the efforts of the police in providing security for citizens.