KILLINGS: Time for state police —Tambuwal

Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal on Saturday agreed with a view earlier expressed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on what to do that will end the incessant killings in Nigeria by suspected herdsmen and others.

The governor while declaring open the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Sokoto, said that the never-ending killings in the country had vindicated the calls for state police.

According to him, the states’ governors must have a measure of control over the security apparatus in their respective states.

“Whether we like it or not, there is seeming justification for state police and there is seeming justification for state governments to have some measure of control on security personnel. Everything is wrong with our nation and we must, as a matter of urgency, rise to the challenges,” he said.

He then called on President Muhammadu Buhari to look for more competent service chiefs who could bring fresh ideas to end the prevailing insecurity situation in the country.

He said, “Providing security relies squarely on government, particularly the Federal Government. We must call a spade by its name. The President has to do the needful. We have qualified people who can bring fresh ideas (to the nation’s security situation).”

A statement by Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, on Saturday had also quoted the Vice President as saying earlier on Friday that state police remains the best option to employ to end rampant killings in the country.

Osinbajo was said to have stated that in his keynote address at the third anniversary of the 8th Assembly of the Lagos State House of Assembly in Lagos, adding that it was no longer practicable to police a country as big as Nigeria from Abuja.

“We have argued repeatedly, and we believe it is the position of our party, that you cannot police a country of this size with a police command that functions out of Abuja. It is just impossible. We must have state police and community police.

“Policing is always a local function. Anyone who is a policeman must be able to speak and understand the local language. If a policeman does not understand the local language, he stands at a major disadvantage. This is why state or local policing is important as part of our security architecture.

READ ALSO: UK House of Lords warns against a ‘Rwanda situation’ happening in Nigeria

“Some of what we have seen in many parts of the country, where we have had herdsmen killings and clashes with farmers, and the slow responses of the security agencies, have been on account of the fact that local policing is weak.

“If you look at the Logo Local Government Area in Benue State, it is on the border and far away. The number of policemen stationed there, and several other local governments, is far too small to contain the sort of challenges that they have there.

“We must have special forces and joint task forces in order to maintain peace. But how is that possible in several local governments across the country?

“The only solution we can proffer, therefore, is some form of local policing so that the state can decide how many policemen, how many security agencies are required. That is the way by which we can have enduring solutions,” he said.

 

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now