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Northeast states okay state police
By David Adenuga, Bauchi
The clamour for the establishment of state police gained more support on Wednesday.
Northeast governors said the idea will foster security.
They observed that the existing over-centralised security arrangement is outdated and grossly inadequate, adding that an innovative policing system is required.
Rising from the fourth meeting of Northeast Governors’ Forum in Bauchi, capital of Bauchi State, the governors urged speed, stressing that the delay in setting up a decentralised policing could be dangerous.
At the meeting were Governors Babagana Zulum (Borno); Bala Mohammed (Bauchi); Inuwa Yaya (Gombe); Umaru Fintiri (Adamawa); Darius Ishaku (Taraba), represented by Deputy Governor Haruna Manu and Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), represented by his deputy, Idi Gubana.
The push for state police by the forum chaired by Zulum, trailed similar calls by the Southwest Governors’ Forum, led by Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu; Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and the All Progressives Congress (APC) Committee on Restructuring.
Apart from the call for state police, the Northeast governors also urged the Federal Government to use mercenaries to fight insurgency.
Read Also: Akeredolu insists state police is antidote to insecurity
Lamenting the abduction of pupils in North’s public schools, Zulum suggested the conversion of boarding schools to day schools in the region.
Mohammed said the renewed terror attacks have made state policing more compelling.
He said police would complement the efforts of the federal police and offer wider police protection to citizens.
Mohamed said Nigeria should stop deluding itself into thinking that insurgency had been technically defeated.
He said: ”The recent escalation in the activities of terrorists, despite the sacrifices of members of our gallant forces, is quite worrisome and challenging.
“The mindless massacre of 100 farmers in Zabarmari village of Borno State, the spate of fatal attacks and kidnapping in various states of the zone, particularly Taraba State, all point to the need to rejig the security architecture deployed to counter the criminals.”
Mohammed said security must be fortified in the Northeast, warning that if Maiduguri is captured by insurgents, the zone will fall into the hands of terrorists.
The governor described security as the greatest test of leadership, lamenting that insecurity underscored the failure of government.
Describing state police as the solution, Mohammed said: “Instead of playing the ostrich, we must accept the fact that our over-centralised internal security arrangement is an obsolete tool for tackling the monstrous life and death scenario playing out in the country especially our region.
“If the call for the establishment of state police had yielded result, the mushrooming of security outfits would have been avoided. It’s better late than never. What’s needed is the courage and sincerity to take the decision decisively and it should be taken today.”
Zulum urged the Federal Government to seek the support of mercenaries to combat terrorism, noting that the country’s military might was not enough to crush the terrorists.
He also urged the Federal Government to urgently convert the boarding schools in the North to day schools to stop the trend of abduction arising from lack of adequate security.
The governor said the lack of security measures led to the mass abduction of pupils in Katsina, Niger and Zamfara states.
To him, the zone is battling banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling, gender-based violence and youth restiveness.
Lamenting the devastating effects of insurgency in Borno State, he said: “It is regrettable that for seven weeks now, the entire Borno State has been cut off from the national grid for electricity power supply due to the damage done to the mainline of supply to the area.”
He called for a new set of pragmatic and result-oriented initiatives to completely subdue the terrorists.
Zulum said: “The government should also seek for support from neighbouring countries such as the Republic of Chad, Cameroon and Niger, with a view to providing a joint action that will look into the possibility of ending this crisis.
“The Federal Government has to look into the possibility of involving mercenaries, with a view to ending this insurgency because it seems that the commitment is not there.
“Therefore, to end this insurgency, we must be committed enough, we must bring in external support to ensure that mercenaries are hired to end this insurgency.
“On our part, in addition to the logistic and financial support we are rendering to the armed forces in their fight against general insecurity in the sub-region, we should also look into the possibility of forming a security outfit within the ambit of constitutional precedent and operational feasibility as has been done in other parts of the country.”
Zulim advised the new Service chiefs to device new strategies to counter attacks by insurgents and forestall future attacks in the region.
“This challenge ranges from the seemingly unending issue of insecurity, banditry and kidnapping, to cattle rustling, and from gender-based violence, to youth restiveness”, he said.
