Buhari Releases N13b For Take-off Of Community Policing Nationwide

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved N13 billion naira as take off money for the commencement of community policing in the country.

Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, Office of the Vice President, disclosed this on Thursday in a statement.

“To drive his resolve to rejig the security architecture in the country & deliver a more effective policing, Mr. President has approved the sum of 13 billion naira for the take-off of Community Policing in the country.

“At today’s National Economic Council (NEC) meeting presided by Prof Yemi Osinbajo, the Vice President asked Governors, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Finance Minister and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to work out modalities on how the funds would be well utilized to ensure an effective implementation of Community Policing in Nigeria, and then report back to NEC.

“Specifically, the Governors would be represented at this consultations by the Nigeria Governors’ forum Chairman and two others.

“There’s no relenting in effort to secure lives and property across Nigeria”, he said in the statement.

BIGPEN recalls that Buhari in May had approved community policing and the decentralization of the Police as a way to improve security in Nigeria.

The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, had earlier, said that the force would aggressively drive the community policing as approved by the Federal Government.

Adamu had said that the implementation of the community policing initiative would kick off with the setting up of community policing committee at the ward, local government, and state levels, including at the Federal Capital Territory.

“The committee, when inaugurated, is to identify credible and suitable citizens from across each locality for appointment as special constables who will serve as community policing officers.

“The committee is also expected to identify security challenges. The community policing officers are to deal with and resolve low-level security issues without necessarily resorting to police stations unless the issues are of serious legal and security consequences and require police intervention,” he said.

Most states in the federation have already set up and inaugurated their community policing committee in preparation for the full take off of the security outfits.