The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, has attributed the insecurity in parts of the country to desertification and other elements of climate change.
The IGP made this known today during the flag-off of the One–Nigerian–One–Tree, National Tree Planting Initiative, in the Federal capital Territory, Abuja.
According to a statement signed by Force PRO, Frank Mba, the police chief, there is a strong connection between climate change and internal security.
The IGP observed that human activities including desertification, deforestation and other elements of climate change, are major drivers of poverty, crimes and insecurity generally.
“Specifically, the IGP noted that the intense rivalry and competition for natural resources between farmers and herders occasioned by climate change is at the root of some of the violent clashes, not only in Nigeria, but across the sub-Sahara and the Sahel region,” the statement said.
“The IGP, therefore, commended the organizers of the program, the Greater Nigeria Initiative, and expressed his belief that the initiative, which constitutes one of the non-kinetic approaches of the Force in combating crime, would assist the Force in proactively responding and addressing the increasingly broadened and complex security threats in the country.
“The IGP pledged the commitment of the Force to the Twenty-Five Million Tree Planting Initiative of the Federal Government, assuring that the exercise would be replicated across all zonal and state commands towards addressing the alarming deforestation challenges occasioned by climate change, building an eco-friendly environment for peaceful co-existence among the citizens and enhancing national security”.
