By Dauda R Pam
The Nigerian Police force has convened an all-inclusive Northeast Security Summit with a view to addressing insurgency, kidnapping, Armed robbery and other crimes in the region
Speaking at the Security Summit which held at the Government House, Maiduguri, the Inspector General of Police. Mr Mohammed Adamu said ” the increasing complexity of crime and the challenges of policing a vast and diverse country like ours make it imperative that a people-oriented approach is adopted. Public trust consent and partnership are the foundation upon which policing rest.
” Thus the event is convened within the context of our community policing initiative and as part of the strategies of the Nigerian police to employ an all-inclusive approach towards aiding us in the achievement of our internal security mandate. This policing methodology is essential for a number of reasons,” the IGP said.
He said ” in order to police the nation in the most cost-effective manner, it is imperative that we draw in our historical heritage and leverage on our traditional strength as a country. Incidentally, communities in the Northeast and other parts of Northern Nigeria have a unique traditional structure which makes the Traditional Rulers maintain an effective cultural and social control over their subjects “.
The IGP said the summit is the third time in the series that they have convened with the support of executive Governors of the Northwest and Southeast and out other partners, stressing that the one held in Kastina in August this year and the one held in Ibadan were yielding result and optimistic that the Northeast will adopt proper solutions to the challenges of insurgency,. Armed robbery and kidnapping among others.
The Borno state Governor, Prof.. Babagana Zulum used the occasion to appealed to the military and other security agencies to allow for the return and restoration of civil authorities in the rural communities for the real restoration of peace back to the northeast.
He said ” I call on the military to take the fight to the Boo Haram insurgents, their hideouts are well known and also ensure civil authority are restored in all communities. I also want to urge our military and other security agencies to allow our people to go back to farm and other business activities., more especially within the Lake chad fringes “.
The Governor said there is a need for a paradigm shift from kenotic force to more robust dialogue through “Operation Safe Corridor” stressing that he believed at the end of the summit participants will come out with road map to ending insurgency and blueprint for post insurgency rebuilding process.
In his message, the Yobe state Governor, Alhaji Mai Mala Buni said ” Yobe State is ready to partner with the Federal and other security agencies to end insurgency in the northeast. There is also a need for continued dialogue between federal and state governments, military and the insurgents for a lasting peace
Earlier in his remarkable, the President of the Senate Senator Ahmed Lawan said “Security is the cardinal essence of government, we in the National Assembly are ready to do everything possible to end the insurgency., even if it’ means allocating the whole budget on security. The budget allocated to the security sector is inadequate to enable the military to have the needed weapons and equipment to the insurgency.”
Senator Ahmed Lawan who was represented by Senator representing Southern Borno, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndune said “the National Assembly is deeply concerned and touched by the prolong insurgency in the Northeast. Ithe president have so far allocated a tihe or sum of N35 billion to Northeast Development Commission, he urge the MD of the commission to spend the budget to avoid the money bring remitted back to the Federal government covers.”
Also speaking, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bsuchi state who was represented by Hus Deputy , Sen.. Baba Tella said “I call on the National Assembly to create an enable law for the establishment of special security fund rather than following a normal budgetary process to allow the security agencies tackle the security challenges facing the nation.”
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