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Leaders recommend community policing to combat kidnapping

By Gbenga Akinfenwa
22 May 2016   |   3:21 am
As the menace of Kidnapping spreads across the country like wildfire, community leaders have called for inclusiveness, community policing, identification of residents and empowering of vigilante...  
Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase

Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase

As the menace of Kidnapping spreads across the country like wildfire, community leaders have called for inclusiveness, community policing, identification of residents and empowering of vigilante groups as antidotes to curb the heinous act.

They unanimously agreed that for government to win the war, there must be synergy between the Police and communities, to achieve any meaningful result.

The traditional ruler of Lisa Community, Ogun State, Chief Najeem Oladele Odugbemi said the only way to reduce the menace to the barest minimum, is to fully involve community leaders in the issue of security.

“The problem over the years is that both the government and its agencies like the police and others, have neglected community leaders, who really know the people. The people in Abeokuta, Abuja and other cities cannot know people living in my community; it is the Baale, the monarch or other community leaders that can identify people living within their domains.

“If the issue of security is brought down to the community and you allow them to own-up to their communities, the issue of kidnapping, ritual killings and other acts of criminality will be drastically reduced. Kidnapping is somehow alien to us because it is used to extort money, unlike in the olden days when the issue of gbomogbomo, which is kidnap for ritual purposes, was rampant. So, government should involve community leaders. Since the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase assumed office, he assured Nigerians that he would ensure community policing, which is not necessarily our conventional police, but people that will organise their own surveillance or vigilante groups. People within the community should be arranged to secure their communities,” he said.

He cited the case of an 11 year-old girl, who was kidnapped in his neighboring community, Arugudu, few months ago. He noted that because the guys in the community were involved in community policing, they worked with the police and traced the kidnapper to Ibadan, but unfortunately the girl had been killed before they got there.

Odugbemi stressed that in his community, the Vigilante Service of Ogun State (VSO) are functional and doing so well, noting that government needs to fully involve community leaders to stop the lingering issue of kidnapping.

“Government also needs to train and empower the existing vigilante outfits. Though they are permitted to carry the pump-action guns, but they must be mobile, how do you want them to attend to distress calls without vehicles or even motorcycles? How do you expect them to trek to crime scene? If there is adequate empowerment from government or even the police the vigilante people would do wonders in our communities,” he said.
A community leader in Agbado, Ifo local government area of the state, Senior Apostle Amos Ayodele Olawoye said the menace is increasing because government has failed to use the instrument they have. “We have what is called Community Policing, which was established during the tenure of the former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime, which is still functioning.

“None of the Inspectors General of Police the country had so far condemned this development. There is need for more focus and emphasis on community policing that will further assist the police in combating crime. Like the practice in other climes, people should be encouraged to police their communities because government alone cannot do the work.”

To forestall the usual practice of releasing suspects by the police, he advised that community leaders must ensure that the suspects are taking to their various communities and identified by their people in order to carry out proper prosecution.

According to the Community Development Association Chairman (CDA), Oke-Abiye community, Lagos State, Akeem Balogun, the security approach adopted by his community is to identify with all members of the community. “There is a standard rule that before a landlord accepts any tenant into the community the Zonal CDA must know about it. Such a person will obtain forms and must agree with the rules and regulations guiding the community. The form will then be taken to the High Court to swear affidavit.

“Those are the measures we have taken, we know ourselves in the community, with that we can monitor ourselves. Secondly, we ensure that we get in touch with owners of unoccupied houses and in the case of not getting the owner; the CDA takes over such building. All schools and academic institutions are also made to register with us, to know their pupils, in order to curb any security breach.”

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