Friend Of Police By Tunde Busari

I am not interested in why President Muhammadu Buhari chose the US to announce his plan for Nigeria Police. He reserves the right to do so in any part of the world because the news is not as meaningful as implementation of the blueprint.

However, my interest, my concern and my worry is the substance of the matter, which is the 6000 intakes he assured would be added to the current police strength of 371,800. Good news but not the best piece.

I can recall this good Friday morning that at the National Security Summit held in Abuja last year, the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, blew the whistle on the limitations of the police and gave us a figure of additional 155,000 as the number which the nation needed, and still needs, anyway, for Nigerians to go to bed and close their two eyes.

While I applaud the president for his new 6000 fresh hands, it must, however, be clearly stressed that harmless Nigerians will continue to be vulnerable and, indeed, endangered because the numerical strength of our police is far from the United Nations ratio requirement of one to 400. In other words, Nigeria is under-policed, a factor which aids the work of the men and women of the underworld among us.

Although crime is a natural phenomenon dated back to the biblical days of Cane and Abel, Jacob and Esau, Judas and Jesus among other references, a responsible government should do everything to reduce occurrences to what is called barest minimum by recruiting adequate and right personnel equipped with right work tools to keep an eagle eye on every nook and cranny of the country and quickly respond to security need of the populace.

But when these are lacking, using Nigeria example, the nation is under the reign of all colours and sizes of criminals who subvert the law with impunity, compromise judiciary with fun and hold the peace of the nation hostage with confidence.

In spite of being regarded as herd of black sheep, my work experience with the police as news hunter is a pointer to the fact that the force is still blessed with some exceptional, patriotic personnel who want to return to the world and pick the same job but in different country; in a state where government treats the law enforcement agency with decency that goes beyond monthly salaries and allowances.

What we have here, in a mild language, is jungle police system wherein patrol vehicles are fueled and maintained by friends of the police who would return to the station and seek favour, the kind that would compel the helpless officers to do slow march on the ethics of policing.

For Nigeria to be effectively secured against the current killings, robberies and other crimes, President Buhari’s 6000 is not even a drop in the ocean.

What we need, as a matter of urgency, is a mass recruitment of at least 100,000 able and incorruptible bodies to reduce tension among the youths and take on crime and its tendencies.

President Buhari must know that every kobo he budgets and spends on security is not misplaced, for security is the soul of peace and development which he promised the electorate during his campaign between 2014 and 2015.