The National Economic Council (NEC) on Thursday informed that community policing will soon take off across the country to battle the escalating insecurity. The new security plan, which is expected to halt killings, kidnappings, banditry, and insurgency in many parts of the country, has got N13 billion cash approved by President Muhammadu Buhari. Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule announced the decisions at the end of NEC’s sixth meeting this year, which was virtual, except for the attendance of a few of the members at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa. Sule was one of those who attended the meeting at the Villa which was presided by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
He said the decision was taken after a report by the ad-hoc committee on security and policing, headed by Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, was submitted to the Council. The ad-hoc panel, according to him, met August 4, to review the growing security challenges in the country. The governors also requested more funding for states and the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to enable them to meet security obligations.
Sule said the meeting received briefings from the NSA, Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), and the Department of State Services (DSS).
He said: “Council resolved that the chair of the NGF (Nigeria Governors’ Forum) with two other governors would meet with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Finance Minister and the Inspector-General of Police to co-ordinate the proper utilization of the N13 billion funding of community policing in the states.
“State governments have been overwhelmed by insecurity expenditures and there is the need by the federal government to inject more funds to augment expenses by the states, among others. The meeting made several observations and came up with recommendations that would help government tackle insecurity in the country.”
Community policing is the middle-of-the-road proposal by Inspector-General (IG) Mohammed Adamu following the cry for State Police as a panacea to the security challenge. The attempt by the Southwest states to regional police was also blocked, forcing the states to decentralise Operation Amotekun.
