The National Chairman of the Civilian Joint Task Force of Nigeria (CJTFN), Prof Muhammed Kailami, has urged the federal government to equip the Mobile Police Force (MPF) to take over security on roads and in communities.
Prof Kailani, who made the call on Sunday at the launch of the CJTFN headquarters in Abuja, said that the move would ensure that the insecurity being witnessed in Abuja and environs, as well as across the country, was addressed, while allowing the military to focus on protecting Nigeria’s territorial integrity by guarding the sea, air and land borders.
He said, “We are calling on the federal government to empower the mobile police to handle internal security because they are very capable. Let them be properly equipped just like they were in the 60s. They have always done a good job, so I don’t understand why they’ve been sidelined. The federal government needs to act quickly.”
Speaking about a recent abduction on the Abuja-Kaduna expressway, Prof Kailani called on security agencies to apprehend the criminals as soon as possible.
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He disclosed the formation of CJTF in Kaduna State and acknowledged Borno State’s pioneering role in establishing it to fight Boko Haram.
He said, “Here in Kaduna, we decided to form our own civilian JTF based on the UN’s community policing guidelines. In the past 16 years, with the police and soldiers being killed and ordinary people being attacked in broad daylight, we felt the need to form a civilian JTF in collaboration with security agencies. And we’ve been very successful over the past 16 years.”
Zanna Madugu, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) who represented the FCT Commissioner of Police (CP), Benneth Igwe, emphasised that security was everyone’s responsibility.
He said, “We are always working together to keep Abuja safe. We appreciate the CJTF’s services and encourage them to continue their good work within the ambit of the law.”
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