A special committee was established by President Bola Tinubu yesterday to examine and address all of the legal statute gaps that exist in the country from 1999 till date.
Bala Mohammed, the governor of Bauchi State, revealed this information to State House media following the National Police Council’s validation of Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun.
President Bola Tinubu chaired the council meeting and the confirmation process, according to Mohammed, who applauded the selection of Egbetokun as IGP. These events resulted in lengthy discussions over the Nigeria Police Force.
The National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Ibrahim Geidam, the Minister of Police Affairs, Solomon Arase, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, and Abdul Rahman AbdulRazaq, the Chairman of the Nigerian Governor’s Forum, were all members of the committee, he said, and they were working together to implement a common reform agenda that would guarantee a thorough overhaul of the Nigeria Police Force.
He said: “The confirmation of the IGP prompted further discussion on the Nigeria Police Force and the President has formed a special committee to look at all the gaps in Nigeria’s 1999 constitution with a view to bring harmony and synergy, closing technology and manpower to the Nigerian Police Force.
“The committee comprises Minister of Police Affairs, NSA, Chairman of PSC and the chairman of the NGF to work on common on reform agenda with a view to make sure that the Nigeria Police is reformed.”
The governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, also commented on the appointment of the IGP, stating that the National Police Council had noted that since the Nigerian Police Force’s founding in 1861, no significant reforms had been made.
The governor went on to say that the new group would provide suggestions for changes to the Nigerian Police Force.
He said: “The newly confirmed IGP is adequately prepared, his CV is extremely rich, very experienced intellectually and practically. He also addressed us as a Council on the state of policing in Nigeria.”
”Among other things he highlighted, he spoke about the need for technology-driven policing, the need for community-based policing, the need to ensure that required budgetary provision is provided for community-based policing which has been proven to be very effective.”
Governor Abiodun went on to say that the recently verified IGP also spoke to the council on important police needs, including technology-driven policing.
The IGP also discussed professionalizing the police, arguing that each police officer should be encouraged to exhibit particular attributes.
The topic of funding also came up, and this four-to five-person committee will examine these reform-related topics. We noted that since the Nigerian Police Force was established, there have been no significant improvements.
“So we believe that with the new committee, the members will come up with ideas that would lead to reforms that will characterize the new Nigerian Police Force,” the governor added.
The governors of Nasarawa State, Ogun State, and Bauchi State, as well as Solomon Arase, the chairman of the Police Service Commission, attended the briefing. The ministers of police affairs, Ibrahim Geidam and Iman Sulieman Ibrahim, and governor of Nasarawa State also attended.
