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By Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye
The Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, at 38th Session of the State House Briefing, touched on the current status of policing and security in the country and provided insight on key updates from the Presidential Roadmap on Police Reform. During the interactive session, he hrow light on other ongoing innovative strides currently being executed in the Nigerian Police, and the impact the implementation of Police reforms would have on internal security in Nigeria. Excepts:
Some Nigerian police barracks in the country are dilapidated even when money is approved for renovation. There is a police barrack that has no light nor water for over five years. Without lights or water, can they give their best in such a situation?
Talking about police barracks being renovated and what we are doing to improve their welfare. Yes, definitely the police cannot work effectively in that environment. I entirely agree with you. And I believe maybe you missed the few things that I said. Otherwise we are already aware of this and why we are paying special attention to the renovation of these barracks and police formations. You have to have a very serene environment for the police to perform. So, we are aware of this and we are giving it the needed attention that it deserves. I believe we’re already aware, or maybe we have forgotten because it has been a very long standing story of paucity of funds, a very poor budgeting of the Police, particularly in the days that you are talking about when you were very young; the police were badly funded. We have never had it as good as we’re having it today.
I want to assure you that the Police Trust Fund, and the Police Force Headquarters are now paying special attention to the renovation and construction of new barracks and new offices for the police. Right now, I am driving a memo in the council which came out last week. And we’re trying to sort out a few issues with the Abuja Development Control towards ensuring that we provide befitting accommodation for our police officers. So, we are on this and I want to assure you that we will give it the due attention that it deserves, so that we will have the support and understanding of our police who are using these dilapidated structures all over the country.
Nigerians especially from Northeast, Northwest and North central believe that giving the right equipment to the police will mitigate the scourge of banditry. But during your slides presentation, you showed how the ministry is distributing equipment. How are you ensuring all these equipment are cascading to the right divisions?
I agree with you that with the right equipment, the police will do their best or better. On what we are doing to ensure all the equipment including vehicles being distributed are sent to right divisions to ensure they perform credibly well. Also to ensure that our policemen outside Abuja are well dressed. The DIG is present here, and can bear witness that whatever we distribute to the Force Headquarters is being distributed in all the states of the Federation, particularly the security prone states. These are priorities and we try to be as fair as we can. We distribute to all states because like we all know, security issues are things that are moving from place to place. You can never know where it is and so you have to be everywhere. I think you’re not getting it very correctly. Of course, we are here in Abuja, so you see us on a daily basis, but we are everywhere. These vehicles are being distributed everywhere. Whatever equipment we have are not for keeps. We are distributing to all the commands and formations for the use of policemen.
Recently, the ex-acting chair of EFCC was promoted, why was the recommendation of Justice Salami’s panel report ignored and he was promoted? And what’s he latest on Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari on his suspension and the rest?
On why Magu was promoted, well, this is an issue that should have been addressed by the Police Service Commission, who have the responsibility to conduct promotions of the police. They are not here. And I am aware that the commission is directly under the presidency, so I cannot speak for them. But what I know is that Mr. Magu has already retired and that is what I can tell you now. The fact that he was promoted is a matter for the Police commission to maybe throw more light on. I’m not aware of the position of the government on the report you are talking about and I think it is still under consideration. It doesn’t mean that when he retires, the laws will not catch up with him whenever he is found guilty. So, I think it’s not completely a finished business.
You also wanted to know the latest on Abba Kyari, the issue of Abba Kyari, you all know where it is. It’s a matter in court. So for me to talk about it, it amounts to subjudice. So please, let’s wait for the decision of the court on the matter. And we’ll all be there to wish the court the best in whatever they see fit in the matter.
Modern policing is no longer about the use of AK47 and all that. It thrives better on the deployment of technology, precisely CCTV and other equipment that aid easy and early detection of crimes and in most cases, aid prevention also. What are you doing to ensure that you work on this more than the kinetic approach to security issues?
I like the fact that you have drawn attention to the fact that policing strategy now is no longer about having motorcades, AK 47 and other security gadgets. And that what is required now is high tech to win the war on insurgency or whatever you’re fighting. I agree with you. And maybe you did not hear me well, I indicated our efforts in moving towards technology including policing. That is the way to go. And we are moving towards that direction. But, you know, the police is a civil institution and we’re not even emphasizing on these arms and ammunition. What we are emphasizing is to ensure that, as civilian as we are, we try to ensure that we will resolve issues without having to use firearms or anything. And with the support of the community, with the support of Nigerians, the police don’t need to use firearms but we’ll have them and we’re having them in case there is a need to use them. What is most important is the technology like you said and we are paying special attention to this. And we know the whole world is going in that direction and this administration is not unmindful of that direction and we’re trying to pursue to ensure that policing is technology-driven. We will make sure that the police in this country have the best technology to fight these criminalities. So please support us in whatever we do; we are out there for you, the police are always ready and willing to support whoever is in need of our support. In the same vein, we also need your support.
During your presentation, you told us that you have trained 25,000 constabularies for community policing. Have you commenced implementation of community policing? What role do the communities where the policemen are operating from, have to play? And what are the considerations in deploying officers to those communities?
On whether we have started the implementation of the community policing programme and what the role of community is in the community policing programme, I think I’ve said it here that it has commenced. We couldn’t have trained 25,000 constabularies if the programme had not started. So, the programme is on course, and is in all the 36 states of the federation, and these constabularies have been posted to their various communities, and like I said, in my presentation, to do a lot of policing activities in those areas, and to add to the visibility of police in those communities. The responsibility of the communities in which these constabularies are being posted, is to cooperate with these constabularies to ensure that they assist them in sharing intelligence, in reporting cases that need to be reported. And to assist them in resolving issues that can be easily or locally resolved; so the community policing programme is there for the communities to ensure that they collaborate with these constabularies to provide peace in their communities.
The issue of unknown gunmen has attracted a lot of comments. There has been a conspiracy theory on that. Even the outlawed IPOB, has called on security operatives to deal with the people enforcing the sit-at -home in the South east, calling them criminals that they are not behind it. So with the available intelligence before you, who are these unknown gunmen? Are they ghosts that cannot be unveiled and tried?
Okay, the unknown gunmen, you want to know who they are? I want to tell you that they are unknown gunmen and they are also criminals. They’re terrorists and we are dealing with them in the language they understand.
On the recruitment process, everybody knows that there has been a shortage of personnel. What is the latest update on the recruitment of personnel? Especially with the controversy surrounding it?
On the recruitment of police being controversial. I don’t know how controversial it is. But I want to tell you that I’ve already given a report on this. You will recall that Mr. President had directed us to recruit 40,000 Constables within his second tenure. So far, we have recruited 20,000, we are on the third trench of this recruitment. And I think in the next one month or two, we will be concluding the third trench and we will be having about 30,000 constables on our payroll.
There have been repeated calls for psychiatric evaluation for the police personnel. I’m sure you’ve actually seen the latest video of a police lady dragging the wheel with a driver. Are we going to continue to see such a terrible situation among the police force?
Talking about the psychological test and other tests that you are talking about, I want to assure you that we are busy taking every possible measure to ensure that we conduct thorough examinations, very extensive screening, including medical tests to ensure that those we are recruiting are not coming just into any job. We are recruiting the best of hands to ensure that we support the principle of good policing in the country. I am not aware of the case you are talking about, but some of these things sometimes happen in any organization. But I want to believe that there is high morality in all police formations and we are doing our best to recruit the best from society.
How far have you gone with the ENDSARS demands?
On how far we have gone with the ENDSARS demands, I want to believe that these demands all boil down to the welfare of the police. So that there will be a civil engagement between the police and Nigerians. More than half of my presentation was talking about re-equipping, retooling and other packages that we’re extending to the police, to ensure that we motivate them, we encourage them to be as civil as possible. These are some of the demands that the ENDSARS came with. Mr. President has clearly accepted these demands. And we are making every effort to ensure that we listen to the youth of this country and we try to address these demands and this is what we are doing.
Is the Police Affairs Ministry collaborating with any foreign countries to acquire surveillance equipment, to better provide security in trouble spots across the country?
On whether the ministry of police affairs is relating with other international organizations or countries to solicit or to work hand in hand towards the support of the police? Yes, we’re not doing it alone. Particularly, we are relating a lot with China. Like you’re aware, the CCTV cameras are financed through loans from Nexim Bank of China. Presently, we are procuring so much equipment from China and many other countries. We are relating to ensure that we have the best equipment from these countries that we think we can relate with. So, we are relating with several countries and organizations. Some of them come to us directly to extend their support to us. The police is for everybody. And I think we are aware of this and that is why we are extending our hands of fellowship to China and other countries, so that together we build the police of pride for Nigerians.
Why is the police using AK47 on the streets and not pistols?
On why the police should be using AK47 instead of pistol, I think it is more of a civil issue than approach. But let me say when you see AK47 being used on the road, it is not everywhere in the town. The Police have no business with AK47 when you are not on duty on the Highways or checkpoints. Because that’s where these bandits and terrorists unleash a lot of terror on the highways, and suburbs. So we need people who are ready to face them. But a lot of our policemen are using pistols. So we have taken note of this. And I want to assure you that the police is very mindful of who is to use an AK47 and who is to use a pistol.
What is the police doing to ensure the safety of schoolchildren nationwide, since they seem to be soft targets for kidnappers?
On safety of school children nationwide, maybe because you are in Abuja, but the police is doing its best in our schools to ensure that they provide the needed security in those schools. In fact, the government has delegated this responsibility to the state governments to select schools that they think require security. And I think many states endeavoured to do that and wherever there is need for your security in schools, the police are there, assisting other security agencies to ensure security of our children and for the staff of these institutions. We are there and I believe if you don’t see us in schools, it means the government does not want police in those schools. Because we can only operate in places where there is a need for our service.
You know, this country is very extensive. Our population is more than 200 million, of course the policy is everywhere. But the population will not be adequate enough to cover everywhere. But we are doing our best to cover as much as we can within the limit of what we can do and within the limit of what is required of us to do.
