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Nigeria requires state police-Tambuwal insists

From Rakiya A.Muhammad & Abubakar Auwal, Sokoto

Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal yesterday renewed the call for state police in Nigeria, arguing that to effectively provide security, the nation needs to decentralize the police force.

Tambuwal spoke in Sokoto when he received the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase.

“I believe it is time we reopen the debate considering the huge security challenges confronting the federation and how local expertise, if properly deployed, can be of great help to securing our communities,” he said.

He recalled that though some governors in the North had in the past kicked against state police, present realities on ground indicate that the model is the best.

Tambuwal noted that many states in the federation now have various security outfits whose functions overlap with that of the police.

He suggested that the IGP sets up a Department of Community Policing that would tap from the experiences of local communities.

Tambuwal expressed his administration’s support for the police for effective discharge of their duties.

The IGP urged the Sokoto State government to assist on logistics, saying he was in Sokoto to familiarise with the state command and meet with various stakeholders.

Bello presents appointment letter to new Mai Borgu

From Ahmed Tahir Ajobe, Minna

Niger State Governor Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello formerly presented a letter of appointment to the 17th Emir of Borgu, Barrister Muhammad Sani Haliru Dantoro Kitoro IV in a brief ceremony yesterday in Minna.

The new emir is the eldest son of late Mai Borgu, Senator Haliru Dantoro and had scored the highest during the recent selection process by kingmakers.

Presenting the letter to the new emir, Governor Bello urged him to strive to beat the record of his late father who he described as a “father to all” whose main concern was the development of Borgu, Niger State and Nigeria in general.

“To me, I have lost a father and friend. I lost an adviser, a teacher and mentor,” the governor said.

“There was no time we met that he did not bring up discussion on the development of Borgu emirate. He wanted the best for Borgu and was ready to sacrifice anything to achieve that. He brought a lot of development to the town without much government support but through personal sacrifice,” he said.

The governor narrated how the late emir had to sell his personal property including vehicles to fund a project in the town.

“I had to, at some point, offer him a car to use. That to me is leadership,” he noted.

He also revealed a scenario where the late Mai Borgu had to prevail on the new emir to jettison his governorship ambition in honour of the existing rotation arrangement in the state. The new Emir of Borgu who was born on February 2, 1966 in Old Bussa is a Law graduate from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.

Newspaper vendors decry KAI clampdown

From Abdullateef Aliyu & Femi Akinola, Lagos

Newspaper vendors and distributors in Lagos have expressed disgust over the clampdown on sale of newspapers in the state by officials of the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI).

The vendors threatened to stop collecting newspapers if urgent steps are not taken to halt the harassment.

Daily Trust learnt that there had been a running battle between vendors and KAI officials for months now, with the KAI allegedly confiscating newspaper copies.

The clampdown, it was learnt, started at Ikeja, Ojota and Airport axes of Lagos and stretched to Alausa, Oregun, Allen and Ojota. The officials reportedly came to Ikeja under-bridge on Monday and seized all newspapers and magazines on the newsstand. The vendors said some of their members were arrested by KAI officials.

KAI in a statement yesterday however said some of the vendors displayed their papers on the walkways in contravention of the state’s environmental law.

“We want the vendors to have kiosks, they should stop selling on the walkways because they contribute to traffic-jams and we have advised them to organise themselves, use number tags so that they can be identified because there are so many fake vendors in the city.

“We don’t want fake vendors. The governor has directed that we should not give room for illegal hawking. There are some of these vendors that also hawked textbooks and hand-outs on computer skills, those are the vendors that our men are arresting and seizing their wares. They were released after they signed an undertaking that they would not return to the road hawking,” the statement said.