Recently, there have been concerns that youth of the South East are averse to joining the Nigerian military and police.
Former chairman of Police Service Commission (PSC), Solomon Arase, while in office, appealed to stakeholders of the zone to prevail on their youth to increase their enlistment into the police.
Some previous General Officers Commanding, 82nd Division, Nigerian Army, had also complained over low intake in the zone and appealed to the state governments and traditional rulers to persuade their youth to join the army.
However, Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru, last week, while receiving the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone 9/ Umuahia, Kanayo Uzuegbe, provided one of the reasons for the receding interest of Ebonyi youth in the army and police.
According to the governor, Ebonyi youth have marked preference for joining local vigilance groups over the police force because many of them feel disenfranchised by the current police transfer policies, which often lead to South East youths being shuffled to other regions of Nigeria.
He emphasised that this adversely affects the police’s appeal as a career choice for local youth who harbour fears of being deployed to unfamiliar places: “If you announce recruitment for local vigilance in Ebonyi State, over 500 persons will apply. But if you ask them to join the police, even 200 persons will not join.”
Nwifuru, who called on the Nigeria Police to boost its manpower to better tackle crime across the country, also advocated implementation of community policing. He noted that locals are more familiar with their communities’ security dynamics than outsiders.
According to him, establishing state police would significantly reduce crime, as officers who are part of the community understand the local security landscape better and are more committed to protecting their own: “Our security architecture is well organised; we are only lacking manpower from the police.”
He then called on the police to collaborate effectively with the state to tackle crime.
AIG Uzuegbu assured him that the Nigeria Police will collaborate closely with the Ebonyi State government to combat crime and ensure safety across all regions of the country.
Zone 9 of the Nigeria Police comprises Abia, Ebonyi and Imo states.
A security expert, Dr. Damian Okafor, told Daily Sun that Nwifuru’s comments underscore a critical issue in regional security dynamics and reflect broader sentiment regarding the effectiveness of local versus national law enforcement.
This is as calls for state policing continue to gain traction, as communities seek greater control over their security measures.