24th October, 2016
Gov Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara, has advocated the creation of additional layers of policing to effectively tackle the growing security challenges facing the country.
The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications to the Governor, Dr. Muyideen Akorede, in a statement issued Monday, quoted Ahmed as making the suggestion at a forum for Northern Nigeria Governors, organized by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington DC.
The governor said that Nigeria had different layers of policing in the past, particularly in the early 1960s, which worked efficiently for the country before they collapsed due to change in government.
Ahmed commended the Nigeria Police for its efforts at securing lives and property in the country, but noted that it was becoming more challenging for the present policing system to take care of the country’s critical needs.
He stressed that federal police as is currently constituted, could not provide the required policing for the whole country.
The governor said in view of the growing population of Nigeria, it had become imperative for the country to have additional layers of policing to guarantee maximum security of lives and property.
He noted the presence of local security organizations such as vigilante groups in almost every community, adding that in creating local policing system, the government only needed to formalize those groups into well structured and trained security organizations, with specific roles and responsibilities.
According to him, this will enable them carry out security support service and complement the efforts of the police in curbing crimes and ensuring adequate security for the country at all levels.