As part of measures to contain insecurity and criminality in the country, the federal government recently approved the sum of N13.3 billion for the take-off of community policing initiatives across the country. The approval was granted by the National Economic Council (NEC) at its virtual meeting presided over on Thursday, August 20, 2020 by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. General insecurity of lives and property characterised by brazen criminal activities of bandits and kidnappers has been a nagging security challenge in parts of the country.
At the virtual meeting, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) presented a report to the council and noted that engagement with key stakeholders on the operationalisation of community policing in the country was ongoing.
Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the NEC meeting, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State said “Council resolved that the chairman of the NGF, with two other governors shall meet with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed; and the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to coordinate the proper utilisation of the funding of the initiative in the states”.
It would be recalled that soon after the take-off of a security network codenamed Amotekun in south-western Nigeria, IGP Mohammed Adamu in January 2020 directed the police hierarchy in the country to commence the recruitment of special constables nationwide preparatory to the implementation of its community policing policy. Adamu consequently directed state police commands to set up screening committees to liaise with traditional rulers and community leaders in their domains to screen volunteers for their eventual engagement as special constables. He further directed the CPs, ACPs and DPOs to study the Police Act 49 and 50 for proper guidance.
Recruitment instructions issued then by the IGP require that all those to be recommended must be resident in their respective communities and must also be between the ages of 21 and 50 with the willingness to serve the community. The special constables to be engaged in the community policing who would not be armed are expected, according to the guidelines, to handle charge room and administrative duties, crowd control, accident scene duties, alternative dispute resolution and other less sensitive and less risky functions. They will dress in police uniform but with different force numbers to distinguish them from the regular cops. At least, 50 volunteers will be recruited from each of the 774 LGAs of the country to support the community policing.
While the decision to engage about 40,000 special constables to complement operational efforts of the conventional police is worth the security challenge confronting ordinary Nigerians in the country, the scanty details of screening procedure which prospective volunteers are expected to go through is one of the critical concerns of the public. Due to the deep-seated corruption in the country, it costs persons of questionable character or poor health nothing to obtain reports certifying them to be trustworthy or healthy. Therefore, the use of police uniform by the special constables (given its flagrant abuse by conventional police who perpetrate illegalities at checkpoints) as well as the undefined criteria for accessing and accounting for the funds are some critical concerns of the public.
Until these grey areas have been clarified, the release of N13 billion for funding an initiative that has no blueprint simply lends credence to the insinuation that the money is another ‘bailout’ for governors to expend on their chosen priorities, which may not include community policing. This is worse than putting the cart before the horse. While Senate President Ahmad Lawan’s call during IGP Adamu’s visit to the former in June 2020 on the need to recruit more men and women into the Police Force cannot be ignored, the working out of operationalisation modalities is strategic for the initiative to achieve its worthwhile mandate. Citizens need to know more about the operational structure, functions, scope and funding sustainability for the initiative. Nigerians need a safe environment to go about their legitimate businesses.
