Stakeholders in security in Abia have recommended that all the security agencies in the state should be made members of the State Government’s Security Council.

The call formed part of the communique issued at the end of a one-day capacity-building workshop organized for security stakeholders on Wednesday in Umuahia.

The workshop was organized by the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), in collaboration with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

The communique stated that the measure had become necessary for intelligence gathering, sharing, and attainment of the overall security status of the state.

The stakeholders identified the lack of inclusiveness in the security council as hampering the fight against insecurity in the state.

They urged the security agencies in the state to see security as a communal corporate responsibility and the need for synergy among themselves in order to achieve a holistic security report.

They urged the government, groups, and well-meaning individuals to support security personnel “with sufficient welfare packages as a motivation for optimal service delivery”.

They also called for the deployment of more surveillance teams for effective patrol of the 17 local government areas of the state.

The stakeholders further recommended that security teams be posted to all the flash points in the state.

They further requested that immigration personnel be posted to all the entry and exit points in the state to check the influx of illegal immigrants.

They recommended the recruitment of more manpower, including local vigilantes and other security personnel.

“Communication gap between the security agencies and the communities in the state should be bridged.

“A security agency’s WhatsApp platform should be created for efficient handling of security matters in the state.

“There should be regular training and re-training of security personnel,” the stakeholders further recommended.

Earlier in an address of welcome, the Executive Secretary of SEMA, Dr. Sunday Jackson, said that the workshop was organized because of the recent security challenges in the state.

Jackson, who commended NIMASA for the collaboration, said that Abia, which has borders with seven states, is prone to disaster and other forms of insecurity.

He also said that the objective of the workshop was to X-ray the challenges arising from insecurity in the state and proffer solutions to them.

“It is a coordination meeting aimed at making the security agencies know their roles,” Jackson said.

In a remark, the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, said that the agency decided to collaborate with SEMA because security had become a major concern in the country.

Jamoh, represented by Mr. Obinna Obi, an Assistant Director in the agency, called on the security agencies to collaborate in order to perform effectively.

The maiden interactive workshop was attended by representatives of different security agencies in the state along with some government functionaries.