Nigeria, Feb. 26 -- At this point in our national life, in which questions of security have assumed a most critical urgency or dimension, the seeming paranoia attendant upon anything suggestive of constituting another level of threat to the well-being of citizens is quite understandable. This is certainly the context in which the issue of the alleged missing firearms from the armoury of the Nigerian Police is unfolding.

But more importantly, beyond the heightened sense of anxiety and wariness, there is the need for caution and verification of all pieces of information that could lead to the enthronement of fear, when a complete picture has not emerged. And, particularly within the purview of what the country is currently going through on...