President Muhammadu Buhari Approves The Adoption Of Community Policing

The acting Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, says President Muhammadu Buhari has directed him to immediately commence the implementation of community policing strategy across the country.

Naija News learnt that the acting IGP made this known while speaking at a meeting of the forum of northern traditional rulers on Tuesday in Kaduna, where critical security issues were discussed.

“The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari has directed me to immediately implement community policing strategy across the country; this is a structure, which will enable traditional rulers to maintain an effective cultural and social control over their subjects,” said Adamu.

The acting IGP also said that the community policing model envisaged for the country would involve the establishment and utilisation of the special constables, as provided for in Section 50 (1) of the Police Act Cap P19 LFN 2004.

He explained that the special constables model, mirrored after the police community support officers standard in the United Kingdom policing architecture, would be tailored to align with the existing traditional security structure in the northern part of the country.

“The Special Constables will be drawn from members of the community to serve as voluntary community police officers under the coordination of the Nigeria Police Force,” he said.

“This new drive is in line with the expressed desire and directives of the President, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR.”

Adamu also disclosed that about 1,071 persons lost their lives in crime-related cases across the country in the first quarter of 2019.

Meanwhile in another development, Imo State governor and Imo West senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the last National Assembly elections, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, has said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is setting bad precedent by withholding his certificate of return after he had been declared the winner of the Imo West senatorial election.

Naija News understands that this was contained in a petition filed at the commission by Okorocha on Tuesday.

The petition titled “Need to Avert Abuse of Office and Political Corruption by my Political Opponents with the Active Collaboration of INEC’s Leadership in Clear Violation of the Law” was addressed to the INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu.