PDP govs reject community policing, back state police

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors, yesterday, declared that they have lost confidence in the neutrality and capacity of community policing to serve the purposes assigned to it in the Police Act 2020.

Speaking shortly after their meeting in Abuja, they said the newly introduced community policing infrastructure was already being abused.

A communiqué issued by Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, noted that Nigeria Police Act envisaged that community policing should serve as a decentralised measure of grassroots policing and various roles were assigned to various parties, including governors.

The forum lamented that partisanship has taken over the recruitment process of the constitution and operation of community policing activities in the states.

The forum urged President Muhammadu Buhari to convene a consultative meeting of Nigeria Police Council to appoint an Inspector of Police whether in acting or permanent capacity as envisaged under the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“The Nigeria Police Force as an institution is a common service agency for all tiers of government and that is why the Nigeria Police Council comprises the President as Chairman, 36 governors, Chairman, Police Service Commission (PSC) and Inspector General of Police (IGP) as members.

“The forum strongly recommended decentralisation of the Nigeria Police Force and introduction of state police in Nigeria, as one of the solutions to stem insecurity ravaging the country,” Tambuwal stated.

It also charged the National Assembly to facilitate the Electoral Act Amendment Bill (2010).

“This is necessary to avoid the pitfalls in the amendment process at the Eighth National Assembly, where the President vetoed the bill on the ground that the amendment was belated, among other alibi,” he added.