By FEMI OGUNSHOLA

A Constitutional Lawyer, Dr Kayode Ajulo, has said that the threat by Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State to employ mercenaries to help fight terrorism in the state is a call to anarchy.

Ajulo said this in a statement on Monday in Abuja against the backdrop of the threat by the governor to employ the services of mercenaries in combatting the insurgency in the state.

He said that the central pillar of Nigerian national security was to safeguard the Nigerian sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of the state.

This, he said, was contained in the 1999 Constitution, adding that Section 14(2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution stated that clearly.

He said that the concern over the security of the state had remained the defining feature of a democratic state and its relations with the individuals in their interactions.

Ajulo said that any state that failed to ensure the security of its citizens would be deemed to have failed completely and, therefore, faced a great challenge in governance.

The constitutional lawyer stated that the state of insecurity in Nigeria was becoming worrisome considering the high rate of killings, bombing, kidnapping, and conflicts, among others.

Ajulo added that these had led to political, social, and economic disruptions which in turn led to slow economic, social, religious, and political development.

On the use of mercenaries to fight insurgencies, he said that the provision of apparatus for ensuring security in the country was the exclusive preserve of the Federal Government.

He added that this was without prejudice to the cooperation of components of state government.

“The statement credited to Gov. El-Rufai can be justifiable from the standpoint of concern for immediate response on the imminent danger and state of insecurity in Kaduna State.

“It is apparent that the existing security framework has shown that there is no clear chain of command and thus making it difficult for the security authorities to deal with the rising wave of insecurity in the country.

“However, one must not shy away from the dire consequences of the attempt to engage the services of foreign mercenaries to combat insurgency in the state,” he said.

According to be him, there have been records of events where mercenaries have been used to topple the government and cause a state of anarchy in a sovereign state.

He said that such experience and many others explained why many countries were wary of mercenaries and private military companies.

Ajulo said that based on the system of government in Nigeria and the oath of office the governor took when he was sworn-in; he had no mandate to contemplate procurement of mercenaries. (NAN)

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