Insecurity: This is time for FG to allow states have their own Police -Lukman

By Tom Okpe

Dierctor-General, Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), Salihu Moh Lukman, has called on the Federal Government to allow states in the country create their security apparatus to curb insecurity, especially the rising attacks on schools, saying that national situation has become otherwise and no longer acceptable to Nigerians.

He also said establishment of armed police stations in schools to tackle recurring abduction of school children and the possibility of the All Progressives Congress (APC), government, tackling poverty remains the surest panacea for peaceful coexistence in the country.

In a statement signed in Abuja on Monday, the PGF DG cautioned that given the efficiency with which abduction of school children are successfully executed, the population of criminals working as bandits, kidnappers and abductors is growing more than the number of police and security personnel in the country.

He said; “Nigeria is fast losing its capacity to produce skillful, innovative, resourceful, entrepreneurial and industrious citizens.

Given the efficiency with which abduction of school children are successfully being executed, it appears that population of criminals working as bandits, kidnappers and abductors is more than the number of police and security personnel in the country.

“While it may be tempting on account of our divisive politics to imagine that we can resolve our problems based on strategies that merely reproduce old initiatives in different forms, we need to strongly appeal to our leaders, especially President Buhari to recognise the fact that our national situation is no longer acceptable.

All the indices suggest the high possibility that most Nigeria children are potentially either criminals or abductees.”

Dr Lukman who queried the ability of only the military and security agents strategies to successfully end problem of banditry, kidnapping, abduction and insurgency noted that “Military and security strategy would remain a mirage and resource drainpipe so long as it is not combined with effective implemented and ambitious strategy to lift Nigerians out of poverty.

“As Nigerians and members of the ruling party, we must work hard to push our leaders to combine military and security strategy with successful implementation of ambitious national initiative to lift Nigerians out of poverty.

“It is now a sophisticated business network with frontend that may involve people and institutions that are least suspected.

For instance, how is it possible that tens and hundreds of people would be abducted without any trace? Wouldn’t they pass through towns, villages and communities?

Along the routes they passed, wouldn’t there be police and security posts/stations, traditional and religious leaders that could confirm suspicious movements, he queried.

“Daily, lives are being lost, individual liberties and freedoms are under permanent threats, properties and livelihoods are being destroyed.

Every Nigerian today live with the fear of one form of threat or the other. The North East has been ravaged by Boko Haram for more than 10 years.

The problems of banditry and kidnappings are gradually taking over the North West and North Central,” he lamented.

“With all these sad reality of our existential threats in the country, which is destroying our educational sector, we are debating whether we should have state police or not.

Anybody debating whether or not to have state police is simply part of the problem. How many private securities are guarding our homes?

With all that is happening to our schools, isn’t it a case that require the establishment of armed police station in each school to guarantee the safety of our children?

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“Can this be provided by the Nigeria Police as it is constituted today? Isn’t this a challenge requiring emergency response? How can the lives of school children be so threatened, and we are busy debating politics,” he asked.

Lukman urged the APC government to crave for peaceful coexistence through tackling poverty adding, “being members of the ruling party with all the commitment to contribute its success, we need to tell ourselves the truth which is an important determinant of return to peaceful coexistence and moving Nigeria forward under the leadership of our party is dependent on the capacity of our governments to lift Nigerians out of poverty,” he emphasised.