By Daniel Tyokua
The minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), malam Muhammad Bello has urged traditional rulers in the territory to strengthen community policing in their respective areas.
He said the recent security lapses in the nation’s capital, Abuja called for well structured security within the communities and Area Councils.
Bello stated this when a delegation of Council of Chiefs of Pai Chiefdom in Kwali Area Council, led by the Magajin Pai, Alhaji Bawa Yahaya, visited him.
He explained that with adequate community policing, a lot of the security challenges currently being experienced in the FCT could be surmounted.
Bello while noting that security is now everybody’s business, said the traditional and political leadership within the Area Councils must work together with other experts to organize community policing structures that will not only tackle insecurity but also provide credible intelligence to the security agencies.
The Minister who lamented that efforts to introduce community policing in the FCT in the past have not been very successful, attributed the challenge to the over reliance of the communities on the FCT Administration to provide all the necessary logistics.
In a statement issued by Rabi Umar, Assistant Director Information, urged the traditional and political leadership in the Area Councils to show more commitment to ensure the success of the programme.
The statement said: “The reality is that security now is everybody’s business. We have tried as much as possible to encourage community policing in the FCT but we have not had success. The challenge we faced, especially with the community policing issue, is that many of the communities were just waiting for the Federal Government or maybe the State and in our own case, the FCT Administration to pay for everything.
“As you know, resources are very scarce. If the Federal Government through the system established by the Nigerian Police takes care of the training and maybe the kitting, other things including allowances should be taken up by the local community”.
The Minister, therefore advised FCT Communities and the leadership of the Area Councils to work with experts within their various domains to identify able bodied men and women and encourage them to be part of the community policing process.
