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.
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