By Ummi Ismaeel, Minna
The Governor of Niger State, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, has advocated for the establishment of state police to bridge security lapses being experienced in local government areas, particularly in rural communities.
In a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary, Mary Noel-Berje, the governor made the appeal when he granted audience to the members of Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), led by Mr. David Kolade Alabi, at the Government House, Minna.
The governor lamented that the Nigeria Police were facing inadequate manpower and other logistical challenges.
His words: “Now I strongly believe state policing is necessary because at the lowest level as the Federal Police cannot do it all.
“It is time to allow for the state police that will grow from the bottom-up for the presence of security personnel to be felt, hopefully, when that is done we will get some peace and more so, that the police will be employed from the communities they know everyone”.
Governor Bello who however said he did not expect the establishment of the state police to be complicated, said that even local governments should have their police too.
He said, “We must break the responsibility from Federal-to-States, and then from the states-to-local governments.
“Even at the local governments level, they should have their police so that, at all levels, there are some measure of control though it shouldn’t be complicated.”
Bello challenged ALGON members to provide robust administration to the grassroots people.
Leader of the delegation, Mr. Alabi, had informed Governor Bello that they were in Niger state to sympathize with the people and government over recent attacks and kidnapping by armed bandits. “You will agree with me that the panacea for safety in communities is this call for the state police. It is necessary and also there is the need for the review of allocation sharing formula in favour of states and LGAs when the state police is finally approved because there will be lots of money required for its takeoff”.
