FG begins process on community policing (see first step)

President Muhammadu Buhari led administration has commenced the process on cheiving the establishment of community policing, while the Federal Government on Tuesday in Abuja inaugurated a 14-man committee to strengthen internal security framework and community policing in Nigeria.

This is coming barely a week after Mohammed Adamu, the acting Inspector-General of Police, said President Muhammadu Buhari had directed him to immediately commence the implementation of community policing strategy across the country.

Mr. Boss Gida Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), who inaugurated the committee in his office, recalled that President Buhari had tasked the Senior Executive Course 40, 2018 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic studies (NIPSS), Kuru to undertake a study of the rising insecurity in Nigeria.

He said the committee chaired by Dr. Amina Shamaki, the Permanent Secretary, Special Services Offices (SSO) is expected to complete the assignment and submit its report within two months.

He said the theme of the NIPSS study was to strengthening policing in Nigeria: Policing options and strategies, saying that the scope of the study focused on ways of invigorating the internal security system and it covered the period from 1999 to 2018.

While saying that the report noted some factors militating against a comprehensive internal security framework and community policing in Nigeria, the SGF listed the factors to include; poor policy linkages, multiplicity and poor implementation of policies, centralized control of the police force, weak monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

He listed others as poor application of technology and innovation, absence of integrated database to aid internal security management, poor budgetary allocation to the security sector as well as lack of confidence and trust in the country’s security agencies by the Nigerian public.

He said the committee’s terms of reference are: To study and analyze the findings; recommendations and implementation strategies of the Presidential Parley Report by NIPPS and come up with policy statement for the consideration of Mr. President.

According to him, in the last one decade or thereabouts, there have been strong agitations for government to introduce State police in the country and that these similarly dominated discussions at the National Conference convened in 2014 by the last administration.

“The agitations have not abated since the coming on board of this administration and not even the resources deployed into tackling the various hydra-headed security challenges in the country coupled with the high level of successes recorded by this Government so far, has succeeded in dampening the agitations.”

Members of the committee are: Mrs. Beatrice Jeddy-Agb, Mrs. Odunbanjo Adebisi, Sanusi Galadim, Brig-Gen J. O. Ochai and Commodore J. N. Mamman, Air Cdre A. H. Bakari, AIG David O. Folawiyo, Jimat Bakare, CP Olayinka Balogun, Dr. E.O. Adeoye, Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, Prof. Sani Abubakar Lugga, Dr. Nasirudeen Usman, and Tukur Yahaya, who will act as Secretary of the committee.

Mrs. Shamaki, chairman of the committee, noted that the challenges of criminality have taken serious toll on the socio-economic well-being of the nation.