Harps on community policing strategies

By Gabriel Ewepu and Fortune Eromosele – Abuja

The Commissioner of Police in charge of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Command, CP Bala Ciroma, Wednesday, urged Nigerians to join security agents to curb criminality including terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping in the country.

Ciroma who was represented by the Area Commander of Metro Command, FCT, Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP, Nuruddeen Sabo, made the call during the People’s Security Monitor 2021 Annual Conference and Recognition Award, with the theme ‘security our collective responsibility in Abuja.

He noted that security agencies though equipped with the required human and material logistics are still overstretched due to the large population of the Nigerian State.

He said: “According to the United Nations report on policing, Nigeria has about 350, 000 personnel with a population of over 200 million.

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“We can obviously deduce that the number of police personnel is not proportionate to the number of citizens.

“Therefore, to strengthen the effort of the police and other sister security agencies at policing the country, It is necessary to involve all and sundry.

“Security of Nigeria is the business of Nigerians. Consequently, as law-abiding citizens we are expected to at least make the following effort: Be vigilant and supportive, report all suspicious movements, cooperate with the Police within your vicinity, volunteer useful information.”

Ciroma emphasized on the need for community policing, stating that the federal government has devoted human and material resources to make it a reality.

However, he (Ciroma) emphasized the need for Nigerians to support and be actively involved in community policing to drastically reduce criminality.

“In the year 2020, the drive to actively involve members of the community policing was formally launched by the Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar Adamu NPM, mni across the Federation with the sole aim of strengthening the Nation’s security.

“It is worthy of note that security agencies are not relenting in protecting the citizens, however, to succeed in this enormous task Nigeria requires collaborative effort”

Also speaking was former Inspector General of Police, Sir Mike Okiro, who maintained that solving Nigeria’s security challenges would involve returning to the people for a collaborative effort in tackling issues of insecurity in the country.

“It is important for us to appreciate that we are talking about security challenges in the context of a state that is democratic, that in itself throws up many challenges, and I have always argued that democracy has intrinsic values which can be used to undermine it.

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“It is because we practice a democratic system, there are limits security agents can go in enforcing the law and everyone has the right to go to the judiciary and ask for protection.

“Many of the challenges of what we are facing as a nation may have resulted from the excessive exercise of our freedoms as contained in the constitution that of course puts security agencies in a very challenging situation, and how far can they go in enforcing the law?”

Meanwhile, Executive Producer and CEO, People’s Security Monitor, Isiaka Mustapha, asserted that issues of security do not only affect security agencies but also Nigerians at large, adding that the enhancement of Nigeria’s security is in the hands of all Nigerians.

“At moments like this, we all need to step up our commitment and the sense of patriotism irrespective of tribe, political affiliation or religious alliance. Truth be told, no nation in the world is immune to insecurity challenges but what makes the difference is the managerial capacity and drive for patriotism of individual country to manage it is unfolding insecurity crisis as the case may be.

“Nigeria project is a collective task for all of us and we must remain uncompromising about its security, which is tied to almost all our activities on a daily basis. Nigeria, I insist must be thoroughly secured if truly we do not have another country we could call ours.

“Undisputedly, Nigeria is the largest black nation in the world and this explains why it is imperative that our ranking in the global security improves without further excuses”, Mustapha stated.

Vanguard News Nigeria