The National Economic Council (NEC) Thursday, approved the setting up of a committee to be chaired by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to ensure the possibility of decentralisation of the Police.
The body made up of Governors of the 36 states of the Federation and other federal government officials, listed membership of the Committee to include Governors of Zamfara, Ondo, Plateau, Ebonyi, Katsina, Edo and Borno.
The move, Businessday gathered is not unconnected with recent directives of the Acting President to the Inspector General of Police, IGP, to reorganize the Special Anti-Robbery Squad , SARS.
Following public outcry over allegations of human rights abuses by the Police, well meaning Nigerians had called for complete overhaul of the police.
This is just as others called for the creation of State Police as part of efforts to reduce the overbearing influence of the Police which had been highly centralized at the headquarters, with the IGP wielding unnecessary powers.
State Governors had cried out over lack of powers to influence police operations in their domains despite being regarded as the “ Chief Security Officers” of their states.
It is however not immediately clear the extent to which the new move will help to reduce the powers of the IGP and the quantum of powers the decentralization will grant to heads of Police formations outside of the headquarters.
But the National Security Adviser NSA, Babagana Mongonu, while briefing State House Correspondents alongside Governor Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa and Deputy Governor of Benue State, Benson Abounu, assured that the Intelligence Community and Security Agencies will continue to sustain current efforts to mitigate the security challenges across the country.
Mongonu who noted that it is not easy to coordinate all the Security agencies , especially in the wake of recent security challenges, hoped that the decentralization will assist in strengthening the Police response to crimes and information gathering machineries
“Yes, all security agencies are supposed to be centrally coordinated but sometimes we have issues. But these issues are being addressed right now and that is probably why we are beginning to see some improvements”
“The truth is that we are dealing with a situation that is asymmetric, that is not normal, not conventional. In dealing with these problems there will be issues, inter-service issues, inter-agencies issues, my office has been trying to address in the last couple of weeks, hopefully we should be able to see some improvements.”
He also emphasized the need for the state to collaborate with and support the federal government in dealing with each individual threats, since these threats differ from one zone to another.
“ We will find a way of linking with security agencies so that we can find a lasting solution.
“These things cannot be overcome within a short period that is the hard truth. What we have decided to do is to work on certain methods.
“For example the council decided that a committee would be set up with representation from each of the geo-political zone to be chaired the IGP so that we find ways of decentralizing police operations so that there will be greater access to information and handling this situation will be easier rather than a centralized and cumbersome approach”
