Security: Buhari will leave Nigeria better than he met it – Dingyadi

The Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi, says President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to enhancing the nation’s security and leave the country better than he met it.

Dingyadi stated this at the inauguration of the Northwest Police Public Complaint Committee (PPCC) sensitisation campaign on Thursday in Sokoto.

He said the inauguration of the committee was part of the Federal Government efforts to deepen and enhance the capacity of the police through responsive reforms aimed at promoting rule of law and protection of human rights of citizens.

The minister noted that the PPCC was an initiative to bridge the gap between the police and the public against issues of conduct and infraction on the citizens by the police.

“It is to provide avenue through which the public can channel their complaints and grievances on brutality by the police and addressed appropriately.

“It is in line with the President’s quest to achieving better security and national development,” Dingyadi said.

He assured that the Buhari-led administration was determined to internalise responsive initiatives that would improve measures towards having a secured, safer and crime free Nigeria.

This, he stated, will further eliminate all crimes and establish a positive but productive mechanism against unrests and other nefarious activities and tendencies.

He stressed that the PPCC performs an oversight platform for the promotion of cordial relation between the police and the public.

”It is the Ministry’s initiative to ensure brutality never find ground against citizens within the space of the police operational conduct.

”The present government will ensure any move was unturned towards leaving a peaceful, secure and a united Nigeria as a nation better than it was when the assumed office in 2015,” the minister said.

He urged the public to consider PPCC as a responsive avenue aimed at boosting synergy and illicit confidence of Nigerians in relation to the conduct and activities of the force.

He said the PPCC is on track with bracing guidelines piloting its operations in order to ease the public on all complaints against police personnel infractions on their rights.

Earlier, the AIG Zone 10, comprising Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States, Mr Bello Dalijan, who represented the Inspector General of Police Usman Alkali, said that PPCC was a child of necessity to augment the police workforce as searchlight through which complaints and grievances of citizens would be addressed.

Dalijan urged other security agencies to fast track responsive synergy towards securing the country, noting that in spite of numerous challenges, Nigeria has made tremendous progress in the area of security.

“With PPCC, we shall be more committed in synergy towards a more secure, safe and peaceful nation for the prosperity of citizens,” he assured.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, represented by Alhaji Aliyu Baraden Wamakko, commended the federal government for the initiative that would give ordinary citizens more confidence and courage to lay their grievances where their rights were trampled on.

Abubakar however called on the minister to ensure the establishment of similar committee across the 774 local government areas in the country.

Also speaking, Rev. Fr. Nuhu Iliya of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), thanked the organisers, noting that it will strengthen the trust and confidence of the public in the police force.

Iliya explained that Sokoto has been peaceful, and both Christians and Muslims were conducting activities without discrimination.

He expressed concern over the growing insecurity that has deepened public fears as a result of the killings.

“Nigerians are not happy with the killings across the country. We are convinced that with the PPCC, our minds will be sensitised for positive results,” he pointed out.

The Muslim representative and the District Head of Gagi, Alhaji Sani Umar-Jabbi, described the initiative as a genuine avenue for the channelling complaints as well as the participation of those in the grassroots.

Umar-Jabbi appealed to the Muslim congregation to support the drive for the peace and unity of all towards justice, equity and fairness against any form of police brutality and violation of their rights.

He noted that the confidence of the public in the police was a sensitive issue that he believed the PPCC would address in line with the current security challenges.

The traditional ruler emphasised the need for Nigerians to embrace family planning mechanisms in order to have proper population growth that would enable families as well as authorities to checkmate security challenges and efficient management.

He urged the government at all levels to brace up and invest more insecurity as the country was fast demographically rising amid crises.

The representative of the Sokoto state government, Alhaji Abdulkadir Ahmed, noted that the establishment of the committee was a positive sign that the commitment of federal government to reforming the police force was not in doubt.

Ahmed observed that the public and police relations in Sokoto was cordial, stressing that “what we see at checkpoints and other duty points demonstrates how cordial we are in Sokoto”.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that committee members comprised government officials, representatives of human rights agencies, youth organisations, non-governmental organisations.

The committee would check the unprofessional conduct of the police against the citizens and serve as a platform between the public and police in order to better secure citizens.

Guidelines, phone contacts, online platforms and other avenues to reach the committee were displayed after interactive sessions, while there were also time for questions and answers.