A security expert, Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Ajia, has identified community policing as one of the most effective strategies for addressing insecurity in Nigeria.

Ajia made the assertion during an interview with journalists in Ilorin following his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) at Magaji Ngeri Ward in Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State.

According to him, adopting community policing would enable security agencies to gather timely intelligence from local communities, which he described as the most vulnerable targets of violent non-state actors.

Ajia, a former governorship aspirant in Kwara State, said recent developments indicate that Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to tackling the country's security challenges, citing the appointment of the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, as Minister of Defence.

He argued that the prevailing security crisis cannot be resolved through a purely kinetic or force-based approach, stressing the need for collective national involvement.

"One of the major reasons that anchored our move to APC is to support the government. Every patriotic Nigerian and every reasonable person today will have to support the government in fighting insecurity. It is a reality that we have serious insecurity in this country. Kwara is having its own share," he said.

Ajia added that Nigerians must view bandits as enemies of the state, rather than through political or religious lenses.

"My thesis for the Doctor of Philosophy is on community policing and national security. From both research and practical experience in the police, we have reaffirmed that the only sustainable way to tackle insecurity in Nigeria is through community policing.

"That is why we are ready to work with the government to create awareness across communities in Kwara State and Nigeria, so that we can collectively confront these elements as enemies of the state, not enemies of any political party," he stated.