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Why we insist on state police, by Southern governors

Southern governors yesterday said having state police will give them more control over security decisions in their states.
They believe locals are better placed to fight crime because they understand the terrain and language.
The state helmsmen met under the Southern Governors Forum (SGF) in Abeokuta.
They appointed host Governor Dapo Abiodun as chairman.
Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, was named Vice Chairman.
Also in attendance were Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Alex Otti (Abia), Godwin Obaseki (Edo) and Ademola Adeleke (Osun).
Others are Bassey Otu (Cross River), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Duoye Diri (Bayelsa) and Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom).
Deputy Governors Chinyere Ekomaru (Imo), Monday Onyeme (Delta) and Olayide Adelami (Ondo) represented Hope Uzodimma, Sheriff Francis Orohwedor Oborevwori and Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
Rivers State Governor, Similayi Fubara, was absent and was not represented.
Abiodun replaced former Ondo governor, the late Rotimi Akeredolu.
The governor, who featured on a national television last night, said the forum deliberated on state police, the political upheaval in Rivers, infrastructure and agriculture, among others.
He said the 17 Southern governors were united in their call for state police.
Abiodun said: “We all spoke with one voice in support of state policing.
“We spoke with one voice in support of regional security outfits which almost all regions have set up.
“The outfits are working hand in glove with the law enforcement agencies and providing them with intelligence and support.
“We all know that we cannot have any meaningful development in the atmosphere of insecurity.
“We all spoke with one voice in support of state policing, and regional security outfits, working hand-in-glove with the security outfits.
“The governors are called state chief security officers. But, we know that the Commissioner of Police is appointed by the Inspector General of Police and is only answerable to the IG.
“And when the governor needs to call the attention of the CP on an urgent task in his state, the governor will have to first clear with the IG.
“What have we discovered? In most cases, a policeman from Borno, Maiduguri, posted to Lagos or Ogun states, for instance.
“Such an officer doesn’t understand the terrain, he doesn’t speak the language and he does not get the level of intelligence he needs.
“By the time he is settling down to understand these factors, he is transferred to another state.
“We’re calling for community police to tame insecurity in the state and the nation.
“Under the state police arrangement, a policeman posted to his ward won’t have problems with language and intelligence.
“In that case, the policeman understands the community and the locals, language, the sentiments and, he knows the criminals within his territory.
“It is also common knowledge that the federal police have a shortage of manpower.
“We, as governors, are not in charge or control of our states as far as security is concerned.
“Yet, we fund the federal police operations, yet we are not getting the best from them. They don’t have enough personnel.
“State policing is not something new.
“We have several types of policing structure in other climes where we took our democracy from.”
Speaking on local government tenure, Abiodun said it was unconstitutional for anybody to extend the tenure of constitutionally elected public servants.
Referring to Rivers political quagmire where the House of Assembly extended the tenure of the local government chairmen, Abiodun said: “On local government administration, it is a constitutional issue that will be put to rest at a point in time.
“When your tenure has expired, it stands to reason that your tenure has expired.
“It is not up to the governor of that state or anybody else to extend the tenure of the local government chairmen.
“The collective position of the governors is that it would be a dangerous precedent and an abuse of the democratic ethos for the tenure of an elected local government chairman to expire and for anyone to imagine that their tenure can be extended by one day.
“I think that puts that matter to rest. If that is not the case, that becomes a precedent, a reference point, and the thing is that somebody will ask for a tenure extension.
News
Killings: Shettima visits Plateau today, Danjuma calls for self-defence

Amid renewed violence in Plateau and Benue states that has claimed over 100 lives in recent weeks, Vice President Kashim Shettima is expected to visit Plateau State today (Monday) as part of federal efforts to stem the tide of attacks and foster lasting peace.
The visit comes days after gunmen launched deadly attacks on Bokkos and Bassa communities in Plateau, attracting public outrage and deepening calls for urgent government intervention.
Confirming the Vice President’s visit, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda, disclosed during a tour of affected communities in Bassa on Saturday that Shettima’s visit was directed by President Bola Tinubu himself.
“Mr. President is deeply concerned about these killings. That is why the National Security Adviser was here last week, and now the Vice President is coming to engage stakeholders directly,” Yilwatda stated.
During his visit, Shettima is expected to convene a high-level stakeholders’ meeting aimed at enhancing security coordination and strengthening local peace initiatives.
The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, who also visited the communities with top military commanders, including Maj. Gen. Folusho Oyinlola, assured residents of the Federal Government’s commitment to justice and security.
“We are investigating seriously. We are on the trail of the perpetrators and, by God’s grace, they will be brought to justice,” Badaru said.
“Support programmes for victims, especially widows, have also been launched, and more help will come to ease their pain,” he added.
Meanwhile, a former Minister of Defence, Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd.), has once again called on Nigerians to rise and defend themselves.
Speaking at a public function in his hometown, Takum, Taraba State, Danjuma reiterated a warning he gave five years ago, arguing that relying solely on government security forces is no longer realistic.
“The warning I gave years ago remains valid. Nigerians must rise and defend themselves before these bandits overrun the entire country,” he said.
Danjuma expressed sorrow over the ongoing killings in Benue and Plateau states, describing them as evidence of the government’s failure to secure the lives and property of its citizens.
“We must be proactive. We cannot continue to watch helplessly while our people are massacred. Enough is enough,” he stressed.
Also, the Plateau Youth Council, Northern Zone, condemned the attacks as deliberate and genocidal, rather than communal clashes as claimed by federal officials.
Addressing journalists in Jos, PYC Northern Coordinator, Samson Chiroma, said, “These are not random clashes. These are systematic attempts to displace our people, coinciding with the beginning of the wet farming season.
This is genocide, plain and simple.”Chiroma accused Fulani militias of carrying out the attacks and faulted the Federal Government’s response as inadequate and detached from reality.
“If the authorities are serious about stopping these killings, they must start by arresting those making inciting statements. Otherwise, it will appear that some people are above the law,” he said.
He called for urgent reinforcement of Operation Rainbow, the state’s local security outfit, through recruitment and retooling to better protect vulnerable communities.
News
Girl, 14, killed by lion in Kenya
The alarm was raised by another teenager and KWS rangers followed tracks to the nearby Mbagathi River, where they found the primary school girl’s remains.

- Lion/ Getty Images
A 14-year-old girl has been killed by a lion on the outskirts of Nairobi, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said.
The child was snatched from a residential compound on a ranch next to Nairobi National Park, according to the conservation agency.
The alarm was raised by another teenager and KWS rangers followed tracks to the nearby Mbagathi River, where they found the primary school girl’s remains.
The lion has not been found but KWS said it had set a trap and deployed search teams to look for the animal.
(BBC)
News
UPDATE: Four-storey building collapses in Lagos (Photos)

A four-storey building has collapsed in Ojodu-Berger area of Lagos, with occupants trapped, and some feared dead.
Panic gripped residents when the uncompleted building suddenly collapsed on Saturday.
The building houses the popular Equal Right Restaurant.
The incident happened at about 11a.m., today.
As of press time, men of Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, as well as the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, who had been contacted have arrived at the scene.
See photos below:




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