Internal Security : Group Charges Aregbesola On Community Policing

A security expert, Alhaji Rilwan Hussein has called on the new Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola to quickly rearrange the nation ‘s internal security architecture through community policing.

He said there was need for the Ministry to start mobilising active members of the society, who are desirous of helping law enforcement agencies in curbing insecurity towards community policing system, the type that will put the surveillance and intelligence gathering responsibilities to the community concerned.

Hussein, who is the head of Harmonised Vigilante Group in the South West gave the advice in a press statement he made available to CitymirrorNews on Monday in Osogbo, the Osun State capital maintaining that the internal security arrangement in Nigeria needs total overhauling.

According to him, an heterogeneous society like Nigeria can not effectively police itself without active participation of members of the society for efficiency and effectiveness.

He also tasked the Minister to put up a virile committee that will look into the issue of porous boarders across Nigeria and find a lasting solution to the menace, saying that the issue of porous boarders contributes greatly to internal security challenges.

“I am convinced that the new Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola will take the issue of community policing serious and give it necessary attention and consideration, going by his antecedents in Osun State in the area of security.

“By the mandate of his office, he must strive to come up with robust arrangement for internal security arrangement that will make a difference and also reflect community participation.

“Paramilitary organisations like Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) among others are strong agencies that could be used to effect formidable internal security arrangement in collaboration with communities.

“The Minister made this work in Osun while he held sway as governor for eight years. He came up with virile security measures that gave responsibilities to all strata of the society to be vigilant and involve in policing their communities in collaboration with security agencies.

“My group played a significant role in this arrangement, and it turned out to be a huge success as the state under Aregbesola was peaceful all through without blemish.

” I will want him to work closely with the Ministry of Police Affairs and other security agencies to thoroughly fine-tune modalities for implementation of community policing “, Hussein averred.