Senate panel urges IGP to redeploy indigenous Kaduna policemen

The Chairman, Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Southern Kaduna, Senator Kabiru Gaya, has asked the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris to redeploy officers who are indigenes of Kaduna State out of the troubled area, even as he insisted on the immediate implementation of the government white paper on Southern Kaduna killings.

Gaya who also debunked the report that the Senate had rejected the interim report of his committee, argued that indigenous policemen may be weak to handle such situation.

The lawmaker disclosed this yesterday in Abuja while fielding questions on why the Senate rejected the committee’s interim report on the Southern Kaduna crisis. He said the Senate only asked the committee to prepare a more comprehensive report that would proffer solution to the killings.

According to him, until the constitution is reviewed to give traditional rulers roles to play in their respective communities, the lingering crisis and killings in Kaduna State will persist, stressing that the state government must also, in line with restoring peace to the conflict prone area, implement the recommendations of the white paper.

He said: “On the issue of police, the Inspector General in posting officers to any part of the country, should not put more of the indigenes of the state because when you have indigenes and there is crisis they can’t quell it.

“Traditional rulers should be given a role to play, unfortunately they don’t have any role in the constitution, therefore, their roles are limited. “There is an urgent need to review the constitution to give traditional rulers a role to play. All the religious leaders should preach peace for no religion preaches violence. It was one of our resolutions.

“We said the Kaduna State government must implement the recommendation of the white paper. Governments of those states refused to implement the white paper because of political fear. If they are sincere to the people, whatever recommendation, it is fair you implement the recommendation.”

He added that religious leaders should continue to preach peace to their followers, noting that the committee will present its final reports on similar clashes in other eight states to the Senate.

It would be recalled that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, sequel to consideration of the committee’s report said that the committee should go and do a thorough job and report back within four weeks.