Former Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lawrence Alobi, has expressed concern over the increasing involvement of the military in internal security operations, saying the armed forces have effectively taken over duties traditionally assigned to the Nigeria Police Force.
Speaking in a telephone interview, Alobi said the development reflects the growing challenges facing the police in maintaining law and order across the country. He urged the government to strengthen the capacity, manpower and resources of the Nigeria Police Force to enable it address security challenges more effectively.
He said: “The military that are supposed to concern self with external aggression are on the streets doing policing duties. The law say that the military should come to aid of civil authority, which is the police, but the military has taken over Police functions. They are now overwhelmed and we are in a fix. Unfortunately, the police don’t have the manpower and equipment to do the needful.”
Alobi attributed the decline in police effectiveness to poor remuneration and political interference, which he said have weakened professionalism within the force.
According to him, “Nigeria Police is the poorest paid in the world and the political control is also destroying the police. Politicians wants to dictate to the Police and that erodes professionalism and breed indiscipline and corruption.”
On how to ensure the safety and security of citizens in line with Section 14(b) of the Constitution, Alobi called for increased funding for the police, describing it as the lead agency for internal security.
He lamented the current state of the force, saying: “Unfortunately the Police have been destroyed and there is nothing they can do. The society is becoming helpless because the police lack manpower. Their welfare is poor and they are poorly equipped. When they receive distress call they cannot move to the scene. Security is in 21 century is technology driven and intellegence based and intellegence is gotten through information gathering. When information is gathered from the people and properly analysed it become actionable intelligence.”
The retired police commissioner also appealed to citizens to support security agencies with useful information to aid crime prevention and law enforcement.
He said: “Section 24 (e) of the constitution says that it is the duty of every Nigerian citizens to assist security agencies maintain law and order. The people comiting these crime are largely Nigerians.”
Alobi further stressed the need for stronger collaboration among security agencies, saying effective synergy is essential to tackling the country’s security challenges and that there should be no unnecessary rivalry among agencies.
Linus Aleke
Follow us on: