This is the time for state police — El-Rufai

Kaduna state Governor, Nasir El-Rufai has called for a redesign of the country’s security architecture to collaborate between the states and the national government so as to expand police numbers, equipment and technology.

El-Rufai said this is the time to make the establishment of state police a key part of policing reforms.

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He added that the recent EndSARS protest which snowballed into a crisis has exposed the inadequacy of the numbers, ordinance, training and unitary structure of the Police in the country.

In his remarks at the meeting of the Northern Governors Forum and the Chairmen of Traditional Councils of the 19 northern states, ongoing at the council chamber of Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, the governor of Kaduna state said “the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria had envisaged the need for this by creating the Nigeria Police Council in section 153(1)L and defined the membership to include all State Governors.”

“In this regard, I wish to seize this opportunity of the presence of this high-level federal delegation to appeal that the quarterly meetings of the Police Council be initiated and sustained so that the important issues to improve national policing effectiveness be interrogated, debated, agreed and addressed,” he said.

Other top government officials at the meeting include the Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari and Senate President, Ahmed Lawal as well as the FCT Minister, Mohammed Bello, Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed and the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.

Traditional leaders at the meeting include the Sultan of Sokoti, Alhaji Muhammd Sa’ad Abubakar as well as emirs of Gwandu, Zazzau, Hadeja, Bauchi and Etsu Nupe.

El-Rufai further noted that many northern states are confronting a variety of security challenges such as banditry which has threatened the economy in the rural and urban communities.

While speaking on the recent destruction to lives and properties following the EndSARS protest, El-Rufai said the economic damage from the recent tragic events will exacerbate the shrinkage unleashed by Covid-19.

“The impact of this on jobs and livelihoods will be severe. The crisis has also exposed the worrying ascent in public discourse of a new sort of relativity that is able to justify anything.

“Amidst the mayhem in many parts of the country, there has been a shocking absence of a collective will to stand up for law and order, and those that are at the frontline of law enforcement,” he said.