Insecurity: S’East Govs Back IG Adamu on Community Policing as Ohanaeze Seeks Regional Security Outfits …Declare killer herdsmen as terrorists, Anglican Bishop

Determined to find a lasting solution to the security the challenge facing the South East Zone, Governors of the five states in the Zone on Wednesday resolved to adopt the Community Policing Initiative of the Inspector-General of Police, (IG) Mohammed Adamu.

The development which was the outcome of a closed-door meeting between the governors and the IGP in Enugu is expected to be an effective tool for bringing policing to the grassroots.

This came as the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, asked the federal government to initiate the process of allowing each of the six geopolitical zones to establish their own security outfits in order to effectively tackle modern security challenges.

Similarly, the Archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province, His Grace, Most Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma asked the Federal Government to declare killer herdsmen across the country as terrorist.

Chukwuma said that the rate of killings carried out by the herdsmen on religious leaders, which have often gone unpunished, has become devastating.

The leaders spoke during the South-east Geo-Political Zone Security summit themed: Strategic Partnership for Effective Community policing in the South East Zone.

Delivering the communiqué issued at the end of their meeting with the IGP Adamu, chairman of the South-east governors forum  and governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi said the community policing initiate will lead to the recruitment of police constables who will work closely  with various communities across the zone in tackling insecurity.

The initiative, which had since been approved by the federal government and intended to further deal with the increasing security challenges in the country, according to the governors was a welcome development that will substantially address the security problems across the country.

 

He said that the process takes into consideration the security initiatives put in place by the governors of the states in the south east such as the vigilante  groups, neighbourhood watch and forest guards.

According to him, "We shall set up community policing committees that will be made up of traditional rulers, religious and town union leaders within the locality will be charged with the responsibility of selecting and recruiting officers that will work within the communities" he said.

He said that as state governors, they will have Joint security meetings on quarterly basis to access the security situation within the zone.

On his part, the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Nwodo said allowing each Zone to establish their own security outfits will greatly assist in resolving the security crisis facing the country.

He said if the states are allowed to independently carry out the recruitment of individuals to work as security operative in the various communities, it will help to better deal with insecurity.

"We want to own our domestic security outfit. Existing laws must allow us have what will be known as Ogbunigwe security outfit for us in the East.  We belong to these communities and we know our people better. But any attempt to interfere in the process of recruitment will make it dead  arrival" he noted.

He said the zones need some level of  independence since the existing system in the country had according to him failed, adding that the people of the South East have absolutely lost confidence in the police and even the road safety who have continued to exploit thhe people in the name of protecting their lives.

"We are giving the impression that nobody cares about us. With little confidence, there will be no compliance. "We feel there is a different law for us and a different law for other parts of the country" he said.

 "Our impression is that we are a conquered nation but there is a limit to which you can push a people to the wall. You can't talk about community policing when those who wi lead do not even understand  the language of the people whose lives they are coming to protect.

Earlier in his address, IGP Adamu said that the idea behind the establishment of community policing was part of efforts and strategies put in place by the NPF and aimed at dealing with the increasing rate of insecurity in the country.

He said that the alarming rate of insecurity makes it imperative  for the force to collaborate with communities in dealing with the challenge.

"Any security agency that alienates the people it is meant to protect does jot mean  well for them. With community policing, we shall be able to identify, dissect  and deal with issues of insecurity in our communities" he said.

He said that this is the sixth in the series of summits held across  the country which shows how determined the NPF is in securing lives and property.

"We believe that when we walk in solidarity with our communities, we shall achieve the much desire succes and alter the security narrative in the zone" he said.

Also speaking, Archbishop Chukwuma lamented that if nothing was done to deal with the challenge posed by the killer herdsmen, the church will be left with no other option than to resort to self help.

"As a church, we have measures, both physical and spiritual that we can adopt to protect ourselves from this spate of killings. But we do not want to take laws into our hands" he said.

He said that the activities of herdsmen, including kidnapping  and destruction of crops on farmlands has had adverse effect on the country's economy over the years.

"Our women cannot go to their farmlands anymore for fear of being killed by herdsmen who allow their cows to destroy farms and the government is not doing anything about it" he said.

He maintained that the government had not won the war against Boko Haram, as it has claimed, adding that it must make efforts to secure lives and property of citizens in the country.

"Our people are beginning  to lose confidence on the government's ability  to protect their lives" we do hope that the idea of community policing, initiated by the Inspector General of Police will go a long way in dealing with the change of insecurity" he noted.

All the governors of the zone including Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), and Willie Obiano of Anambra attendee the summit with the exception of Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State who was represented by his Deputy, Prof Placid Njoku.