Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
One of the country’s prominent policy groups, the Independent Media and Policy Initiative (IMPI) wants the National Assembly to invoke the doctrine of necessity with a view to speeding up the process of establishing state police.
In a policy statement signed by its Chairman Dr Omoniyi Akinsiju, the think tank expressed concerns at the delay in putting a decentralised policing structure in place.
IMPI said: “We posit, in this regard, that the police force should be the foundation of the country’s internal security architecture. In consideration of this, we acknowledge efforts that are being made to establish the State Police as part of the nation’s security apparatus.
“Our argument is hinged on the fact that police officers must be recruited from and deployed to the local environment they are familiar with.
“The would-be police officers are better placed because of their knowledge of the culture and familiarity with their environment. We, therefore, call on the National Assembly to invoke the doctrine of necessity to ensure the passage of the law creating State Police without delay.”
It also urged state governments to ensure that various communities and stakeholders are involved in security matters in their respective domains.
“Additionally, governments at all levels should facilitate community involvement in security matters through community mobilisation. Community mobilisation is a process of engaging and empowering members of a community to take ownership of and actively participate in addressing issues and challenges facing the community.
“It involves bringing together various stakeholders within a community, such as community leaders, local organisations, and government agencies, to work towards a common goal.
“It is aimed at fostering solutions that support good governance, accountability, representative participation, and peaceful change. Participation in community mobilisation is about addressing the interests of the entire community, with security at the top,” IMPI added.
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