Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Senator Abu Ibrahim, has disclosed that the Nigeria Police Force operates in deficit of 90,000 police officers, notwithstanding the ongoing move to recruit 10,000 personnel into the force.
Ibrahim made this remark during a meeting of the Joint National Assembly Committee on Police Affairs with the Acting Inspector General of Police (IG), Ibrahim Idris, in Abuja.
According to him, the current recruitment exercise is still far insignificant when compared to the number of police personnel needed by the country to combat the rising wave of insecurity.
“I am aware that this number is insignificant compared to what the police needs in order to adequately face these challenges especially when it is realised that the police is in deficit of about ninety thousand officers and men,” he said.
He listed various criminal activities rocking the country to include herdmen’s violence, kidnapping, insurgency and armed robbery, pointing out that the increasing crime rate in Nigeria calls for sizeable number of police officers to match the crime wave.
“There are also the disturbing challenges of insecurity all over the country, particularly insurgency, farmers/herdsmen violence, the Niger Delta Avengers destruction of economic facilities, kidnapping and armed robbery, among others,” he said.
He regretted that the acting IG was coming into office when the country was witnessing acute financial crisis as he assured the new police boss that the committee would offer him the necessary cooperation that will be required to address the security challenges confronting the nation.
He also informed the acting IG that the joint committee on police affairs of the National Assembly in accordance with Order 97(46) of Senate Standing Rules was saddled with the responsibility of overseeing the activities of the Nigeria Police including the budget for operation and maintenance of police department.
He also listed the jurisdiction of the committee in the Nigeria Police to include recruitment, promotion, benefits and privileges of police officers as well as fire arms control and maintenance of law and order.
Responding, Idris assured the committee that he would work assiduously to put the security challenges facing the country under control, promising to co-operate with the National Assembly Joint Committee on Police Affairs in the overall bid to ensure that law and order are maintained across the country.
