The House of Representatives on Tuesday decried poor funding of the Nigerian Police Force as it called on the federal government to step up funding of the police and her sisters security agencies in the country
House Committee on Police Affairs said the police needs proper funding, training and retraining of officers to equip them to confront the escalating insecurity across the country.
The Chairman, House Committee on Police Affairs, Hon. Usman Bello Kumo who made this known during the public hearing on three police bills said the way bandits, terrorists and other criminal elements are going, there is need to properly equip the security operatives if not, the entire country may be overrun by them.
He cited the terrorist attacks on the Kaduna Airport as well as attack on Abuja-Kaduna Train where some passengers were killed while several other people sustained various degrees injuries from gun shots.
According to Kumo, “The Federal Government should endeavor to properly fund the Nigeria Police in view of the increasing insecurity. We in the Legislative Arm of Government are also part of the Federal Government but we have limitation. We can only make laws and carry out oversight in order to ensure what is appropriated is implemented, but the bulk work lies with the Executive Arm who implements and executes the projects and laws.”
He said “It is not news and it is not something that is not in the public domain. The attack on the airport, the attack on our rail. All these are attributed to lack of synergy and intelligence sharing by security agencies.”
He also said the Federal Government should consider facing out the envelop system of budgeting for the police as it is hardly bring about the desired implementation of projects.
In his presentation, the Inspector General of Police (IG), Usman Alkali Baba, said the current initiative by the National Assembly to amend the Police Act 2020, the Firearms Act, as well as the Bill to enact the establishment of the Nigeria Police Intelligence Institute would deepen police reform and re-position the Force for optimal operational output.
The IG, who was represented by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Sanusi Lemu, however regretted that since the inception of the Force, it has never had a training institution with the requisite legal status that can drive the capacity development process of the Force at both the operational and strategic levels. He said:
“Policing all over the world is an intelligence driven enterprise. Unfortunately although Nigeria Police is recognized as the lead agency in internal security, we are yet to nearly after 180 years of existence have a training institution with the requisite legal status that can drive the capacity development process of the Force at both the operational and strategic levels.
The public hearing which was declared open by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila was attended by the representatives of several stakeholders including Nigeria Police, Nigeria Army, Nigeria Navy, Nigeria Navy, Economic and financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Federal Ministry of Justice, Directorate of State Service, DSS among others.
