Bilkisu Adejoh
Nigerian is facing huge challenges to it’s security policy and it’s efforts to fight crime.
For Nigeria to attain the desired heights in security, it takes determination, the will to do it, and well-motivated people who have the ingredients of patriotism, ethics, professionalism, gainful employment, and social justice at play.
The Former Governor of Bauchi State, Mal. Isa Yuguda, stated this at the National Stakeholders Summit On State Police Saga, Organized by the Coalition of Nigerian Youths on Security And Safety Affairs (CONYSSA) in collaboration with the Nigerian Police Force held on Thursday at the Army Resource Centre, Abuja,
Speaking on the Theme: State Police saga: Efficiency over expansion: Solutions for police optimisation, Mal. Yuguda called for efforts to be directed to fixing the situation, by giving the central police adequate training, increased renumeration and well equipped equipment to do their job effectively
“The question you will first ask yourself is, what is wrong with our police today that we need a state police? Have they failed? Is it because they failed that we need the state police? So do we concede what Chinua Achebe said in his book, things fall apart, that when the centre cannot hold things fall apart. Have our police faile?. If they are failing, or we have come to the bitter conclusion that they have failed. So, are we creating that another setup? And what guarantee do we have that, since our police at the national level have failed, the police at the state level will survive? Because I thought maybe if you have robust police force that that is something that we should be proud of as a nation, and you will not want it to disintegrate and to be taken over by parts rather than they as a whole. So, I would imagine that let’s get first, our national police, right. For that when you have the state police, they have somewhere to refer to in the various challenges, or they even go for more capacity building because there’s a security institution that predates their own,” he said.
He added that to ensure the safety of its citizens, the State Governors must take decisive action to address insecurity
He further stressed that addressing the challenge of insecurity in Nigeria requires effective governance. If State Governors sees security as a prime objective, they will solve insecurity within the shortest possible time
The former governor queried the rationale for the call for state police saying there is potential for abuse of power: state governments could misuse police forces for political or personal gain, undermining human right and security.
He expressed the need to address the unrelenting welfare challenges of the central police before adopting state police
Earlier speaking, the Director General Coalition of Nigerian Youth on Security and Safety Affairs CONYSSA Amb Ade Mario Emmanuel, notified that the idea behind the summit was to deliberate on the merits and demerits of State police being agitated.
He expressed displeasure about security outfits set up by the state governments
He said, “The question is are we ready for state police, why do we need state police? And who are those clamouring for state police? You got to understand that most of the security outfit that have been created by governors in some states have been headed by retired personnels so it means those that have worked and failed while they were in service are looking for a means to continue to sustain and milk the country’s treasury either directly or indirectly. We are saying that the young people have what it takes to fight insecurity. If this young people are properly mainstreamed, holistically in the fight against crime and other social vices in local community and state and the country at large.”
Speaking further, the Royal Father of the day Prince Ayeni Ajayi Clement expressed support for the establishment of state policing in the country. Adding that the ubiquitous manner in which crimes occur in every nook and cranny of contemporary Nigeria is a clear pointer to the fact that the current federal policing structure cannot provide optimal security provisions for Nigeria and Nigerians.
He highlighted the merits of implementing state police to enhance local responsiveness, improve crime prevention, and strengthen security at the grassroots level.
He added that state police if employed from the local would work better for the country and reduce the crime rate. According to him, the local knows every nook and cranny of the forest which is the hiding place of terrorists so if they are empowered and employed they will go into the forest and fetch out the criminals
Prince added that both federal and state police units will complement each other for optimal security provision
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