Insecurity: We can’t police Nigeria with a command that functions out of Abuja - Osinbajo speaks about country’s challenges

macfranc007 June 30, 2018 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Naija news 24/7 Eromosele Ebhomele

- Professor Yemi Osinbajo says Nigeria deserves state and community policing system

- The vice president believes this is one of the solutions to cases of clashes and attacks on communities in the country

- He says states should have the power to determine the number of policemen they want to recruit

Nigeria’s vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has declared that the country cannot be effectively secured by its police force because of the way the law enforcement agency is currently structured.

Osinbajo spoke at an event marking the third anniversary of the eighth Lagos state House of Assembly on Friday saying Nigeria needed the establishment of a state police since policing is supposed to be localized.

The vice president argued that it is impossible to have effectively policing with a command that ‘functions out of Abuja’.

He also said a policeman is supposed to be able to understand the language of those he is meant to protect.

“In guaranteeing security, the role of government; the state government, the role of state judiciary are crucial. The federal government has the overarching role of ensuring that the police works, the Army is doing their job, and other security agencies are doing their work.

“But we have argued repeatedly, and we believe it is the position of our party, that you cannot police a country of this size, with a police command that functions out of Abuja. It is just impossible, we must have a state police, community police.

“The reason why it is so obvious is that policing is always a local function. Anyone who is a police man must be able to speak and understand the local language.

“If a police man doesn’t understand the local language, he stands at a major disadvantage. This is why state or local policing is important as part of our security architecture.

“Some of what we have seen in many parts of the country, where we have had herdsmen killings and clashes with farmers, and the slow responses of the security agencies, has been on account of the fact that local policing is weak.

“If you look at the Logo local government area in Benue state, it is on the border and far away, the number of policemen stationed there, and several other local governments, are far too small to contain the sort of challenges that they have there.

“We must have Special Forces and Joint Task Forces, in order to maintain peace. But how is that possible in several local governments across the country?

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“The only solution we can proffer, therefore, is some form of local policing so that the state can decide, how many police men, how many security agencies are required. That is the way by which we can have enduring solutions.," he said.

NAIJ.com earlier reported that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Friday, June 29, visited Lagos state, where he conveyed the condolences of the federal government on the tragic tanker explosion at the Otedola Bridge.

Osinbajo, who spoke shortly after a closed door meeting with Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, said the federal government was deeply saddened by the incident.

Osinbajo highlights reasons for incessant herdsmen troubles, proffers solution| Naij.com TV