Bayelsa Wants FG To Prioritise Community-Based Security

The Technical Adviser to the Bayelsa State Governor on Communication and Strategy, Chief Abednego Don Evarada, has urged the Federal Government to adopt community-based security to tackle Nigeria’s growing insecurity.
Evarada said stronger collaboration between security agencies and local communities would improve intelligence gathering and help combat terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes.
He spoke at the 2026 Feast of Barracuda organised by the National Association of Seadogs (NAS), Oxbow Marino Deck, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
Delivering a keynote lecture titled, “Security Challenges and National Security: Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Nigerian Security Architecture,” Evarada said Nigeria faces one of its most complex security crises.
He listed terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, piracy, oil theft, cultism, cybercrime, separatist agitations, farmer-herder conflicts and organised criminal networks as major threats stretching the nation’s security institutions.
“Security agencies know the terrain but not always the people, while communities know the people but often do not trust security agencies. Criminals exploit that gap,” he said.
“No centralised structure, regardless of its resources, can effectively monitor every village, creek, forest or urban settlement from a distant command centre,” he said.
“The most successful security systems in the world recognise that lasting security depends on strong partnerships between citizens and security agencies,” he stated.
Earlier, the Steerer of Oxbow Marino Deck, Chief Douglas Etulankimor Sampson-Eteli, explained the significance of the annual Feast of Barracuda.
He said the event is a flagship programme of the National Association of Seadogs, founded in 1952 by Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka and six others.
Sampson-Eteli explained that the concept originated from the experiences of early seafarers, who regarded the barracuda as a dangerous predator that threatened safe navigation and trade.
According to him, sailors celebrated after defeating the fish, symbolising victory over danger.
He said NAS adopted the barracuda as a metaphor for societal evils that hinder justice, equity and national development.
“Feasting on the barracuda symbolises identifying, confronting and defeating the challenges facing society,” he said.
Sampson-Eteli said NAS chapters worldwide use the Feast of Barracuda to discuss pressing social, political and economic issues affecting society.
He added that the event also supports community development through book donations, medical outreach, orphanage visits and other humanitarian services.