The Senate on Wednesday last week, in its reaction to series of wanton killings in the land, used the entire legislative session to ruminate on the nation’s security architecture as presently designed and concluded that it has collapsed. TAIYE ODEWALE in this piece captures contributions of each senator and the solutions proffered.
Incessant killings
The upper legislative chamber’s attention was drawn to the problem of insecurity in the land by a motion on “ urgent need to look into the killings and Arson that took place in Shinkafi LGA of Zamfara State” sponsored by Senator Tijjani Kaura (APC Zamfara North).
Using the motion to react to similar problems across the country, the senate President, Bukola Saraki, expanded the scope of the killings stressing that it has assumed an embarrassing proportion. He then urged senators to make contributions but emphasized that it should dwell on the solutions. Subsequently, Senator after senators bemoaned the level of insecurity in the land and declared the centralised security architecture in the country has failed the nation.
Specifically, Senator Yahaya Abdulahi, (APC Kebbi North) in his contribution to the expanded motion, said “the entire national security architecture has collapsed for reasons that are political, economic, ethnic, and other primordial factors.
‘There is definitely the urgent need for such collapsed centralised infrastructure to be critically reviewed and redesigned in a way to accommodate community inputs into it whether in the form of state police or whatever, because local fires are better and promptly quenched locally.
“As a Senate, we need to sit down with political leaders and security operatives and other stakeholders across the country and engage ourselves on the way out of the problem through rebuilding of the security architecture in a way that would ensure that needed security would be felt at the grassroots at all times”.
Virtually all the other senators, who contributed to the debate including the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, submitted that the Nigerian security architecture as presently designed has failed. The position was also concurred to, by the Senate President.
Armed to the teeth but no security
Saraki in aligning with the submissions of the senators said:”Clearly, all the messages that are coming is that there is definitely a collapse of what is either called security infrastructure or national security, with this level of impunity.
“The impunity being that people all over now illegally carrying arms around the whole place and killing people. The fact that in the past, many committees had been set up to look at the reformation of the police without any reform effected, makes it very necessary for this senate to restart the process for the needed reform not only in the Police but the entire security architecture or infrastructure”.
The Senate President in line with senate’s resolution, consequently set up a seven-member ad-hoc committee under the chairmanship of the Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan (APC Yobe North) to carry out the assignment and report back to the Senate in 4 weeks time.
No to State Police
However in the course of the debate on the motion, while all the seventeen senators who made one contribution or the other, unanimously agreed that the Nigeria security architecture needs critical review and redesigning in meeting up with the challenges at hand, they disagreed along the North/South divides on the need for or against the establishment of State Police as one out of the ways from the problem.
Leading the pack for possible amendment of the constitution for creation of state controlled police, was the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who submitted thus: “As bad and horrific the wanton killings in Zamfara and elsewhere in the country in recent time may be, they are not likely to be the last of such largely avoidable tragic occurrences if the needful is not done.
“What I mean by the needful in this context, is to critically review our over centralised security architecture by way of decentralising it in line with the principle of federalism through creation of state controlled police as it was in the country during the first republic.
“Curtailing crimes in the country through centralised policing is like treating malaria with panadol with attendant inefficiency, lack of potency and bad results. Hence, there is the need for us to rise above any sentimental feelings and support amendment of the constitution for establishment of State Police”.
Making similar submission, Senator Solomon Adeola Olamilekan, (APC Lagos West) said what is currently obtains in practical in terms, is that State Police Commands are largely funded and supported logistically by respective state governments. So why are we deceiving ourselves that we are not ripe for state police?
“Going by security challenges at hand across the country, there is the urgent need for us to amend our constitution in bringing about establishment of state police. It is no doubt permanent solution to the increasing trend of insecurity in the land”.
Apparently disabusing the minds of those who believe that establishment of state police would be abused by state governors as experienced under the regional government during the fight republic, Senator Magnus Abe, (APC Rivers South East) said the interest of the nation should be far and above that of individuals.
According to him, support for state police by anybody should be viewed from the national interest and not other interest. “For example in the 7th Senate when debate for and against state police took place on the floor of this Hallow Chamber, I stood for state police which made many senators then to think that I did that as a way of supporting my political ally, Rotimi Ameachi, who was the Executive Governor of Rivers state then.
“But let me say it loud and clear today that despite an opposition party ruling my state now under Governor Wike, I still 100 percent stand for state police because that is the only arrangement that can effectively tackle the problem of insecurity at the grassroots and not the centralised police structure which we have now and where officers are posted to environments they know little or nothing about the terrains.
“Therefore, the problem on ground needs to be addressed holistically. If we need more security agencies, we should go for them, if will need less, they should be pruned down but the realities on ground clearly shows that the time for establishment and legalization of state police has come”, he said.
But argument for creation of state police as a way of redesigning the nation’s security architecture was vehemently countered by Northern senators such as Abdullahi Adamu (APC Nasarawa West), Adamu Aliero (APC Kebbi Central), Dino Melaye (APC Kogi West) etc.
Senator Melaye in particular in his submission said the Nation is not in any way ripe for state police going by what many of the state governors are doing with vigilante groups in their respective states.
According to him, “In Kogi state for example, all perceived political enemies of Governor Yahaya Bello are on daily basis being harassed and terrorised by the vigilante some of whom are even carrying ammunition”.
“Therefore, as far as I am concerned, looking at the direction of state police as one of the ways of solving the myriad problems of insecurity in the country, may end up for the country jumping from frying pan to fire as far as security issues are concerned at the grassroots”, he added.
Obviously from the foregoing, though the entire Senate unanimously agreed that the Nation’s security architecture has collapsed but with sharp disagreements among senators on one of the ways forward i.e state police, what would eventually be the way out?
Answer to this may eventually be given by the Ahmad Lawan led ad-hoc committee.
