The police boss also said that N14.5 billion would be required annually for uniforms and kits for personnel of the force.<\/p>\n
Mr. Idris noted that the regular source of funding for the police through budgetary allocation had failed to address the financial needs of the force to provide security for the nation.<\/p>\n
He said that if the bill was passed into law, it would largely address the funding challenges of the police.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bill will provide alternative source of funding for the Nigeria Police Force for the training and retraining of personnel,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said that the police required over N200 billion to install cameras, establish data base in all police stations across the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo effectively investigate and prosecute offenders, we must invest massively in the detective infrastructure and capacity of our investigators,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr. Idris said this would enhance the investigation and prosecutorial capacity of the police.<\/p>\n
He observed that restricting the trust fund to a period of six years would not be in the best interested of the force and public.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fund once established should be sustained in the interest of national security and not be time bound.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe purpose of the fund is to provide alternative funding for the police, but if it is subjected to too many bottlenecks, the objective will be defeated,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
On the explosives bill, Mr. Idris said that it would curb the illegal storage and use of explosives in the country.<\/p>\n
He noted that the current Act was outdated and did not address the present security challenges facing the country.<\/p>\n
The Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara said adequate funding was critical for the police to function effectively.<\/p>\n
Mr. Dogara was represented by the House Minority leader, Leo Ogor, PDP-Delta.<\/p>\n
He said that inadequate funding of the police had exposed it to criticisms by Nigerians.<\/p>\n
He said that the passage of the bill and its signing into law would provide first-line charge for the police to carry out its operations.<\/p>\n
The Chairman of the House Committee on Police Affairs, Dauda Jika (APC- Bauchi), said that the hearing was aimed at giving stakeholders the opportunity to make inputs into the bills.<\/p>\n
He said that if passed into law, the fund would afford individuals and groups to contribute to the funding of the police.<\/p>\n
\u201cFunding the police adequately will boost its morale and efficiency,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr. Jika said that the bill would also enhance the operations of the police and make them not to be partisan during elections in the country.<\/p>\n
The Chief of Defence Staff, Gabriel Olonisakin, called for a 10-year jail term for anyone who misappropriated the fund.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny person found guilty of misappropriating the fund should go for at least 10 years imprisonment,\u201d Mr. Olonisakin, who was represented by AVM Ibrahim Shafi, said.<\/p>\n
A former commissioner of police, Fidelis Oyakhilome, who spoke on behalf of retired officers, called for constant training and restraining of police personnel for efficient performance.<\/p>\n
He said that the proliferation of security organisations in the country was unacceptable when the police was not adequately funded.<\/p>\n
Other stakeholders who made presentations at the hearing are: NLC, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and traditional rulers, among others.<\/p>\n
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the bill seeks to provide alternative funding for the police.<\/p>\n
NAN also reports that the bill to amend the explosives Act seeks to provide stiffer penalties for defaulters of the law regulating explosives in the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The police boss also said that N14.5 billion would be required annually for uniforms and kits for personnel of the force. Mr. Idris noted that the regular source of funding…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":55155,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n