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PDP Calls For Establishment Of State Police

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has said the creation of state police, border protection council, and devolution of powers will help in addressing the spate of insecurity in the country.

This was contained in a message by the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, read at a world press conference in Abuja, yesterday, entitled ‘Nigeria must not fail.’ 

The party also recommended that more hands should be added to the military and paramilitary organizations and as well provide kinetic instruments of war.

He said: “Our armed forces should be adequately equipped and their welfare a top priority.”

The party said efforts should be made to partner foreign governments and miscellaneous entities to help in combating the insecurity challenges facing the nation.

“The situation in our country is not normal and exceptional steps should be taken to restore it to normalcy. The PDP, as a body, is willing to give a helping hand in this direction,” the party added.

“We call on all citizens to support the quest for state police as is the tradition in other federations. Mindful of the current plethora of vigilante in various parts of the country, which have not been enabled to carry out all the elements of effective policing, we call on the governors of the 36 states, the leadership and members of the National Assembly, the speakers of the state Assemblies, relevant agencies of government, to occasion a summit for a one-stop-shop regarding the creation, structure, and management of state police,” PDP stated.

The party also called for the deployment of technology in the fight against terror, banditry, and other crimes.

It demanded that all culprits should face the law, adding that the apparent failure of intelligence to track attacks by bandits and follow up on them was a clear failure of the intelligence community.

The party emphasized that the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), established many years ago by a PDP administration, was patterned for this purpose and others.

It also recommended that any state(s) where matters of national security challenges that originated or existed should be invited to the National Security Council meeting for deliberation and problem-solving interactions.

“We call for the creation of National Boarders Protection Force to secure our borders. This will include an integrated border protection system that will draw personnel and equipment from existing armed service and immigration.

“We cannot continue to watch while terrorists and bandits continue to levy war on our nation, through our porous borders. This border force should be equipped with reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, prevention, and enforcement. It should, therefore, have air, sea, and land capability,” PDP said.

The party said all  armed services both strategically and operationally should corporate for effectiveness. It noted that it is necessary a theatre commander should not have within his control the deployment of the air force, the army and the navy in his operational area.

It added: “All culprits, who have levied war on Nigeria, should be brought to book. It is unfathomable that several mass kidnappings have been successfully staged with the culprits not being held to account. It is a shameful irony that a few bandit leaders that have been taken out were killed by rival gangs and not our security agencies.

“If Sheik Gumi could detect and engage the bandits, we do not understand why our security agencies cannot track, arrest, and prosecute them.”

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