Insecurity: Ex-Police Affairs minister advocates recruitment of 5m policemen

A former Police Affairs Minister, Humphrey Abba, has said government needs to engage five million policemen to tackle the insecurity challenges in the country.

Abba said Nigeria was not ripe for practice of state police which some people have canvassed for.

He blamed politicians and political parties for the high rate of kidnapping and killings in the country. 

According to him, politicians engage youths for political activities and later abandon them to resort to criminal activities.

Abba, also a former Minister of State, Ministry of Interior, spoke in Abuja during the election of school prefects by the students of Britarch Schools, Abuja. 

Abba said,  “Creating a state police, will worsen the security situation, my position on the creation of state police is a categorical no. I do not support the creation of state police because of the challenges it will pose to our security system.

“I can tell you that investing and managing security apparatus is not a kids’ game. The tendency to abuse the powers within the orientation we currently have in this county is so easy to slip off.

“So it is not in this era advisable. The challenges we have in our security setup today emanates from various political parties who are in-change of state governments running youth wings and youth organisations. That is what is metamorphosing into various kidnapping groups and arms groups across the states of the federation.

“Let us not look far; they are not coming from the skies. They are not coming from any dark forests. These are youth wings who were used for political engagements but now being abandoned and they are now finding means of self help and sustenance because these youths were armed by politicians. That is the truth.

“So, if you do create state police, believe me that the problem we will get into, this will be a child’s play.”

The Chairman of Britarch Schools, Ambassador Okechukwu Philips, said schools should expose their secondary school students to the electoral process through voter education process of INEC to grow them for the political space.

Philips said: “It is good for us to educate them according to the voter education policy of INEC, to grow them for future elections when they will get to 18 years. We expect to always have free, fair and credible elections.”

INEC’s Assistant Director, Voter education, Dorathy Inyang was present to monitor procedures.

At the end of the contest, Daniel Onubogu emerged as School’s Senior Prefect while Owen Ikponwosa emerged as Senior Prefect for the girls.

The students were educated on election and electoral processes as practised in democratic countries .

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