Security summit: FG backs state police

OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
The Federal Government on Thursday backed the creation of state police in Nigeria.
This, it said, is the panacea to solving the myriads of security challenges in various parts of the country.
Speaking at the National Security Summit in Abuja, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo faulted the current police structure in the country. The two-day summit is organised by the Senate.
The Vice President, who declared the summit open, pointed out that the police was defective in combating the rising insecurity in various parts of the country.
Osinbajo also stated that in the interim, the number of Police personnel must be increased drastically. He also cautioned stakeholders not to allow the present insecurity challenge assume religious dimension.
“The nature of our security challenges is complex and known. Securing Nigeria’s over 900,000sq km and its 180 million people require far more men and material than we have at the moment. It also requires a continuous re-engineering of our security architecture and strategy. This has to be a dynamic process.
“For a country, our size to meet the one policeman to 400 persons prescribed by the UN would require triple our current police force; far more funding of the police force and far more funding of our military and other security agencies. We cannot realistically police a country the size of Nigeria centrally from Abuja. State police and other community policing methods are clearly the way to go,” the Vice President said.
He also called for caution among political and religious leaders in ensuring that the crises do not degenerate into religious or ethnic conflict.
Nigeria is currently battling with insecurity challenges from farmers-herdsmen clashes, Boko Haram insurgency, cattle rustling, kidnapping, cult clashes to armed robbery among others.

For instance, the farmers-herdsmen clashes have occurred in states like Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, Edo, Ekiti, Ondo, Delta, Enugu, Oyo, Ogun, Kaduna, Plateau among others.
Although the minister of agriculture and rural development, Audu Ogbeh, had proposed the establishment of cattle colony in states of the federation to resolve the conflict, the Vice President, however, clarified that the Federal Government cannot dictate to states.
His words: “The Federal Government cannot dictate to states what to do with their land. This is so because the Land Use Act 1978 puts land under the control of governors on behalf of their states. Also, the Supreme Court in a case between the Attorney General of Lagos State and the Attorney General of the Federation in 2004 held that the use of land (resources of every kind) lies firmly in the hand of the governor. Even the use of federal land in the state, building and other permits must be sought from the state.”
With a year to the 2019 general elections, it is uncertain if the Federal Government would propose the amendment of the 1999 Constitution to the National Assembly to allow the establishment of state police.
This is because the current amendment to the constitution has reached advanced stage.
In his opening remarks, Senate president, Bukola Saraki, submitted that Nigeria needs the political will to put an end to insecurity challenges in various parts of the country.
According to Saraki, what the country at this crucial time is sincere leadership that will reduce tension and not heat up the polity.
He lamented the loss of lives across the country, while urging political leaders to refrain from playing politics with the situation.
“It is essential that we lower the barriers in our actions and rhetoric, and refrain from playing politics with a crisis situation in which Nigerian lives are being lost, tragically and needlessly, on a regular basis.
“I daresay political will is what is required; and it is my hope that we shall marshal it as a legitimate instrument against this problem. Indeed, there is no reason why that should not be the case. This is not a Summit to trade blames – in no way is this a blame game. Neither is it convened so that any person or entity can take credit. We just want solutions. Solutions only. That is all Nigerians require of us,” he said.
He urged Nigerians particularly those in leadership positions to shun tendencies that threaten the need to work together in search of solution to the deadly atmosphere of insecurity in the country.
“This is not a Summit to trade blames – in no way is this a blame game. Neither is it convened so that any person or entity can take credit. We just want solutions. Solutions only. That is all Nigerians require of us,” he stated.
The Senate president noted, “The summit brings together a wide spectrum of stakeholders including: political leaders; security policy makers; Governors – who are Chief Security Officers in their states; security and intelligence chiefs; key persons in the nation’s security architecture; regional and socio-cultural groups; traditional rulers; civil society organisations (CSOs) and others with strong, persuasive insights into the problem.”
He said the constitution makes it clear that the safety of lives and property of citizens is the responsibility of government adding, “We in government must therefore do everything in our power to ensure that Nigerians are safe from harm, and their livelihoods and belongings protected.

“It was envisaged that the Summit would provide a platform for critically examining the problem of insecurity, to help collate views and ideas in aid of the search for solutions. It is most reassuring to see us all here – people together – coming together to come up with a national response to a grave problem confronting our nation”
According to Saraki, the sharp increase in murderous violence, over and above the relatively manageable level of insecurity that has plagued our country for some time is completely unacceptable.
“There can be no denying the horrific reality in many parts of our country today. People who should be neighbours are turning on one another and taking up arms. These attacks and reprisal attacks are an intolerable cycle of hell that must be broken. Killings, kidnappings, mayhem and general lawlessness cannot be the new normal. We must take this country back and restore order,” he said.