CCS Backs Zagazola Objective Security Reporting, Condemns Ethnic Double Standards in Tackling Crime
By: Zagazola Makama
The Centre for Contemporary Studies (CCS), Abuja, has called for objective and fact-based reporting of criminal activities, urging Nigerians to reject ethnic, religious and political biases in addressing insecurity.
The organisation said the fight against insecurity would only succeed if the same standard of accountability was applied to all offenders, irrespective of their ethnic or religious backgrounds.
In a statement jointly signed by its Chief Executive Officer, Yusuf Musa, and Director of Security and Strategic Studies, retired Capt. Kabir Aminu, the centre expressed support for the position of security analyst and conflict reporter Zagazola Makama on the need for objective reporting of security issues.
According to the centre, criminal acts should never be excused or justified because of the identity of those responsible.
CCS said the controversy surrounding the identification of a suspect in the attempted attack on the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, reflected a broader national challenge, where some individuals support transparency only when it implicates perceived opponents but reject it when it involves members of their own communities.
The organisation maintained that objective reporting should not be misconstrued as ethnic profiling, stressing that journalists and security analysts should not be intimidated into withholding credible information simply because it is politically or socially inconvenient.
It noted that selective outrage and selective accountability undermine public trust and prolong insecurity.
The centre said Nigerians had consistently demanded accurate identification of perpetrators of violent crimes and urged that such standards be applied uniformly to all criminal groups, regardless of ethnic affiliation.
It also commended security personnel for repelling the attempted attack on NIPSS and for their continued efforts in protecting strategic national institutions despite prevailing security challenges.
CCS emphasised that no ethnic or religious group held a monopoly on either victimhood or criminality, noting that while millions of Nigerians across different communities were law-abiding citizens, criminal elements also existed in every part of the country.
It urged citizens to judge criminal acts based on the nature of the offence rather than the identity of those involved.
The organisation called on the media, civil society organisations, community leaders and the general public to uphold a single standard of justice and accountability, warning that attempts to shield offenders through ethnic, religious or political narratives would undermine national security and efforts to achieve lasting peace.
The centre reaffirmed its commitment to truth, accountability and equal justice under the law, insisting that there should be no sacred cows in the fight against insecurity and that all criminal elements should be held accountable without fear or favour.
