NIGERIA POLICE FORCE AND OGBA/EGBEMA/NDONI SECURITY AND PEACE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (OSPAC) COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS IN SECURITY MANAGEMENT IN ONELGA, RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA.

The insecurity in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, Rivers State, Nigeria reached its climax in 2016/2017 leading to wanton destruction of lives and properties worth millions of naira. The situation degenerated to a level where socio-economic, political, cultural and even academic activities were brought to a halt. The study therefore examines the roles of the personnel of the Nigeria Police Force and the Onelga Security Peace and Advisory Committee (OSPAC) in their collaborative efforts in nipping the degenerated security situation in the bud, thereby restoring law and order in the Local Government Area. The study which is a qualitative study was guided by two objectives and was anchored on Routine Activities Theory (RAT). The study found out that the State backed security agencies (especially the NPF) were overwhelmed because of poor knowledge of the terrain, trust deficit between the locals and the security agencies, and superiority contest among operatives of sister security agencies among others. The coming of OSPAC to join other security operatives changed the ugly narrative because the locals now saw them as their own while the OSPAC viewed the locals with an empathic disposition when they were formed. The outfit was properly funded initially by the Local Government authority and there was an unhindered flow of credible information that aided the operations of the security operatives. Based on the above findings, the following recommendations were made including; proper funding of security agencies, emplacement of an adequate reward system and enhanced judicial system that will be not be the unfailing hope of the rich and affluent but actually be seen as the last hope of the common man.