Sen. Paulinus Igwenwagu, former Chairman, Senate Committee on Police
Affairs has called for adequate funding for the Nigeria Police to enable
her tackle current spate of insecurity in the country.
Igwenwagu who represented Ebonyi Central Senatorial District between the
year 2011 and 2015 made the call in an interview with newsmen in Awka.
He said that the current wave of insecurity especially the violent
protests by the members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria was an
indication that the police needed adequate funding.
“Nigeria Police requires modern equipments, adequate funding and more
strength to beef up the current number”, he said.
Igwenwagu who equally served as House of Representatives Chairman on
Police Affairs between the year 2007 and 2011 before he crossed over to
the Senate said if more personnel are recruited into the police
intelligent gathering will be efficient.
“As chairman House of Representatives and Senate Committee on Police
Affairs between 2007 and 2015, I forwarded proposals on ways Government
should reposition the Nigeria Police Force.
“Two fundamental problem facing the police are Government and the public
and once these are addressed insecurity challenges would be reduced.
“Government should tackle the problem of poor funding which basically is
the reason why the police mount road blocks and collect tips from the
public.
” For the public, they should always give adequate and prompt
information to the police as that would make the police respond to
issues and nip them in the bud”, he said.
Igwenwagu urged government to recruit more personnel into the police to
enable the force adequately police Nigeria with her growing population
of more 180 million people.
“International best practices required that one policeman should police
200 persons, but in Nigeria, a police is policing more than 800 persons
in addition to the poor equipments and poor welfare”, he said.
Igwenwagu, a legal practitioner in the team of lawyers currently
defending a petition filed by Chief Chris Uba (PDP candidate in 2019
Senatorial election) challenging the victory of Sen. Ifeanyi Ubah
(YPP-Anambra South), also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to
release Sheikh Ibrahim El-zakzaky.
He noted that long detention of El-zakzaky after the court had granted
him bail was against the law and causing violent protests by his
supporters.
“Presently, we don’t have a law which permits government to detain
someone after he or she had been granted bail.
“Such can only happen if such a person standing trial committed another
offence.
“But it is quite unfortunate that we found ourselves in this condition
whereby one granted bail is held and protests by his group are taking
lives and nothing is being done”, he said.
Igwenwagu, however, called on the federal to meticulously look into the
activities of the El-zakzaky with a view to proscribing it if their
activities are going against the law of the land.
He also spoke against move by the Government to help herders acquire
lands, saying that such project might further ignite another round of
security crisis