Insecurity: Nigerians ‘ll get Police Service they desire – Senate

The Senate has said it remains prepared and committed to giving Nigerians the kind of Police Service they desire as it prepares to inaugurate its committee on the amendment of the 1999 Constitution.

It said the panel will be open to receive the imputes of stakeholders at all levels with regards to the clamour for the creation of State Police to advance the course of securing the lives and property of citizens and residents.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Adaramodu Adeyemi, said this in an interview, in Abuja, yesterday.

He explained that members of the 10th National Assembly, especially Senators, were conscious of the fact that they were elected to make laws for the good governance and welfare of Nigerians at all levels.

Adeyemi said, “The parliament is to make laws and the laws that the parliament will not be generated outside of the interest and aspirations of Nigerians.

“So, if either the federal government, state governors or whoever wants state police and then we are about to inaugurate a constitution amendment committee, when we now put them in place, they will now go out there and meet up with all critical stakeholders in Nigeria within the sectors, traditional rulers and so on and so forth.

“So, when they now meet and then we aggregate and we know that this is what Nigerians want, that is the law that we are going to make what we represent is the people and the law must be people’s law.

“Once  it is going to be the people’s law, whatever kind of police that Nigerians want, that is what the National Assembly will give to them.

“Another thing is that we want to ensure that because when we talk about the constitutional amendment or even making of it, we need 24 states of the federation to concur with us.

“So it does not end up with us at the national. It starts from the National assembly, ends with them and then another end comes back to the National assembly for processing before it goes to the presidency for assent. So it is not a one-way lawmaking.

“As Nigerians are desirous through their governors and then the presidency that Nigeria policing must be rejigged then we have to find something to do about it so that we can ensure that there is peace in our land. We will follow suit.

“The Senate President will be putting together and inaugurating our committee very soon. So by the time they come back to us and this is their takeaway from their rapport with various sectors of the Nigerian populace, then definitely, that is what we are going to call it.”

He further explained that in order for the nation to succeed in the task of overcoming its security challenges, troops in the frontlines of the war against all forms of banditry and terrorism require the support of all well meaning citizens.

According to him, it was in recognition of this fact that it invited and held held a closed door session with the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and all the service chiefs and heads of intelligence agencies during the week.

Adeyemi noted that the vote of confidence passed on the service cheifs was first in recognition of the measures they’ve been taking to turn the tide against criminals since assuming office and secondly to encourage them to do more.

He said, “The thing is this. We have to encourage them. We have to make sure that people who are in charge of our security, whatever suggestion, whatever fears of apprehension that we have after expressing that, they give us assurances that yes, we will not be disappointed that they give us the milestones they have been able to cover.

“ A timeline of what they wish to do, we have to give them the chance and look up to them, let them deliver within the timeline that they have given us.

“And if they have told us that maybe one or two gray areas are that we need to come in and we have not come in and we are coming in now, especially the judicial area whereby we are talking about speedy prosecution of any culprit or suspect so apprehended with the various activities of bandits and terrorists and that of kidnappers especially, then I think we need to.

“So we have sent them on an errand  and what we did with them a few days ago was the first time that we have stayed for so long.

“And they are visiting all of them together because we have been hearing a series of complaints. Like inter-agency rivalries, there is no understanding or mutual engagement, we realized that they don’t work together, and there is no synergy.

“There is this and there’s no that. So, then we thought that for the first time, let’s bring all of them together. DSS, Police, Army, Navy,Air Force , then the supreme leader, which is the NSA, the National Security Adviser who serves as the political head and then as a mitigator in their own professional area, then let us bring all of them together.

“Whoever has anything to accuse the other agency of, let that person come in and now do that one. And then when we brought all of them together and they spoke frankly with us, not among themselves, openly.

“Those, including the Ministry of Interior, which is supposed to man our borders; the immigration, including the Minister of Finance who is supposed to make releases so that nobody will just come to us and say that what we asked for was not provided.

“We brought all of them together. And so when they now spoke and like I said for the first time, 2 hours nonstop talking to them, interrogating we are necessary, asking questions when necessary. And then that’s why we said yes, we believe that they can give us results because of what we found out from them when all of them spoke.”

Speaking about the renewed clamour in some quarters for a return to the parliamentary system of government, Adeyemi explained that as representatives of the people, the National Assembly was prepared to do the bidding of Nigeria’s majority on all issues.

He further explained that interested Nigerians can mobilize support and present bills and motions either to the Senate of the House of Representatives which will be subjected to the rigors of the legislative process in order to bring out the best out of it for the benefit of Nigerians.

The Senate Spokesman said, “We are talking about law or no law. So for us, for whomever can come out and say, oh, we want Aristocracy, want oligarchy, we want aristocracy, we want Plutocracy, We want parliamentary, we want presidential.

“So, it is normal and that is the duty of a legislator or legislators to come up with what they think can enhance the polity to represent their constituents too, whatever their consents are thinking, for them to aggregate same and then bring before the National assembly either Reps or Senate.”