FIC Report (Nasarawa State) – The Federal Government has said it is working assiduously towards making the Nigerian Police more professional, intelligence-driven, world-class and citizen-centric through its community policing initiative of the Renewed Hope Police Agenda.
Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Minister of Police Affairs (State) made this known during a citizen town hall engagement on security in Lafia, the state Capital recently.
Ibrahim said strengthening the police for better service delivery will encourage citizen participation through trust, confidence and commitment to duty for a secure Nigeria.
She noted that the reforms being implemented by the Tinubu administration have so far yielded incremental improvements with administrative, prosecutorial, investigative, welfare and intelligence-gathering developments.
The Minister added that the reform component has a substantial impact in the operationalization of policing, policy review, crime detection and reduction.
She commended Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu and Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State for setting reliable paradigm for governance.
Appreciating the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, she said the police force under his stewardship is implementing key reforms in rebuilding the force for a strong and virile policing.
Recounting the ordeals of the EndSARS protest, Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, urged the community to be open in engaging the police through ownership and support.
Governor Sule while stressing that the police force is understaffed and underpaid, charged the federal and sub-national governments to provide more funds and equipment to the police for better service delivery.
In his opening remarks, Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun represented by Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Ede Ayuba, noted that issues can be resolved at the family and community levels without the involvement of the police.
Speaking on the current state of community safety and trends in the state, the State Commissioner of Police, Umar Nadada, called on disbanded ethnic vigilante groups to follow due process to complement the efforts of conventional security agencies.
Delivering goodwill messages, Emir of Lafia, Justice Sidi Bage Rtd, represented by a former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Usman Baba, called for the revival of the Police Committee Relations Committee (PCRC) for friendly engagement with the community to improve actionable intelligence-gathering.
On their parts, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Police Institutions, Aliyu Wakili, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement, Abimbola Wilson and National Vice President of the Police Community Relations Committee, Kenneth Mogaji called for collaboration, tasking the police not to be antagonistic of the community.
There was a high-level panel interactive session with security, community policing and legislative reforms topping discussions.
Ari, Liman Aminu
Head of Centre,
FIC, LAFIA.
