Shettima, Jonathan, Abubakar, Others Attend Dialogue On State Police
Many political and traditional leaders across the country have converged on Abuja to deliberate on state policing.
Some of the leaders in attendance at the Continental Hotels in Abuja include; Vice President Kashim Shattima, who represented President Bola Tinubu; Former President Goodluck Jonathan; former military ruler Abdulsalami Abubakar; Sultan of Sokoto Sa’ad Abubakar; Ooni of Ife Enitan Adewusi; Governor of Kwara State and Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, AbdulFatah Ahmed; the Minister of Police, Ibrahim Gaidam and others.
The dialogue, organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Constitutional Review and PLAC, a civil society organization, has the theme; Pathways to Peace: Reimagining Policing in Nigeria.
The state policing bill currently before the National Assembly seeks the removal of police from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list.
In the last assembly, the state police bill was rejected by the lawmakers, who felt that state governors may abuse state police. However, in the face of insecurity, there seems to be a favourable disposition to the bill in the current assembly.
In his opening remarks, the Deputy Speaker of the House and Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, Ben Kalu, said those in support and those opposed to multilayer policing have valid arguments. He, however, said the current security situation emphasized the need for a multilayer security arrangement.
Mr Kalu said the essence of the dialogue is to have a “cross-fertilization of ideas across the board.”
“Since 2016, estimates suggest over N5 billion has been paid in ransoms to kidnappers, a figure that starkly exposes the alarming growth of this criminal enterprise in the country.
“These statistics underscore the urgent need for a multi-layered policing approach that prioritizes local security and enables a more responsive policing environment in Nigeria,” he said.
In his remarks, the Executive Director of PLAC, Clement Nwankwo, said the dialogue presents an opportunity to discuss the possibility of abuse by state governments.
