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Tag: Senate Committee on Police Affairs

  • How Obasanjo, Jonathan used police to persecute sitting governors – Senate

    How Obasanjo, Jonathan used police to persecute sitting governors – Senate

    The Senate Committee on Police Affairs Thursday alleged that former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan used the Police as a political tool against perceived political opponents.

    The committee was mandated by the Senate in plenary on Wednesday to ensure immediate compliance to its resolution demanding the reinstatement of the security details of Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano.

    The upper chamber asked the committee to follow up the resolution on Wednesday and report back to the Senate yesterday (Thursday).

    The committee headed by Senator Abu Ibrahim, said in a report that it is “significant and exemplary” that the President and Commander-in- Chief, Muhammadu Buhari  ordered the immediate reinstatement of the Governor’s security details even before the Senate resolution.

    The committee described what happened in respect of Governor Obiano’s security details as “most unfortunate,” and added that “it is heartwarming that the Police Authorities have explained that the action was not intended to cause the governor any injury or harm.”

    The committee said that Nigerians “must not forget however that the perceived use of the Police to persecute a sitting governor was actually made a best-practice tool by immediate past administrations.”

    It added that “in those days of impunity, the directives (to use the Police to persecute political opponents) were directly linked to the Presidency and the then sitting Presidents never issued any instructions to counter the positions of the Police and security services.”

    It said: The following examples illustrate clearly: “Dr Chris Ngige as the then Governor of Anambra State suffered abduction and when he regained freedom and attempted to castigate the powers that be at the Federal level, his security details were withdrawn on January 2nd 2005.

    “In April 2007, a few days to the election, ’higher’ authorities ordered the withdrawal of the ADC and the C50 to Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The APC Leader was also threatened with arrest in the lead-up to the 2011 elections.

    “In September 2013, then Governor Rotimi Amaechi in his capacity as the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors ‘Forum, was harassed on several occasions with the threat of withdrawal of his security aides.

    “While his were repeated threats, the President of this Distinguished Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, was not that lucky. His aides were actually withdrawn in September 2013 as punishment for his support of the rebellion within the then ruling PDP.

    “In February 2014, the security details attached to the then Governor of the Central Bank, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, were withdrawn on the orders of the Presidency. The same man suffered the same fate again when he became the Emir of Kano, in June 2014.

    “The Emir’s palace was sealed off by the Police to prevent him from entering it and he had to assume his responsibilities from within the confines of the Kano State Government House.

    “It is also on record that, at the same time, security aides to then Governor (Now Distinguished Senator) Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso were withdrawn. All on ‘orders from above’.

    “Then Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State had his security details withdrawn in April 2014.

    “In October 2014, the security details of the then Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, were withdrawn. This was after a blatant attempt was made to effect his impeachment.”

    Following the order of President Buhari for the immediate reinstatement of the security details of the Anambra governor, the issue was not raised on the floor of the Senate Thursday.

  • Senate, PSC resolve dispute over recruitment of 10,000 police

    The suspended recruitment of 10,000 personnel into the police force would soon commence, Chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Senator Abu Ibrahim, said Monday.

    The targeted recruitment was put on hold following disagreement between the Senate and the Police Service Commission (PSC) over the modus operandi of the recruitment.

    The upper chamber had in a letter some weeks ago requested the PSC to suspend the exercise over alleged irregularity in the criteria adopted for the recruitment.

    Findings showed that the Senate suggested that the recruitment should be carried on local government basis.

    The PSC, on the other hand, wanted the exercise to be conducted on the basis of equality of states.

    Senator Ibrahim however told reporters yesterday that the disagreement has been resolved.

    He said, “We have resolved the issue and the recruitment would be done on local government basis. Very soon the exercise will resume once again.”

    The lawmaker also said that those to be recruited would form the foundation for the commencement of community policing in the country.

    He explained that nine personnel would be recruited per local government area.

    Those recruited, he said, would be used to form a unit for community policing in all the 774 local government areas of the country.

    Senator Ibrahim noted that it is expected that in the next three years, 30 police personnel would have been recruited per local government for the community policing initiative.

  • Why recruitment of 10,000 police ran into hitch – Senator

    Why recruitment of 10,000 police ran into hitch – Senator

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Senator Abu Ibrahim, Thursday said that the proposed recruitment of 10,000 police personnel by the Federal Government was suspended due to sharp disagreement over the criteria for the recruitment.

    Senator Ibrahim told reporters in Abuja while some stakeholders wanted local government areas to be the basis for the recruitment exercise; others insisted that equality of states should serve as the basis for the exercise.

    The Katsina South lawmaker said that there were also some legal impediments to the exercise.

    He noted that some people felt that the police should recruit from Inspectorate cadre downwards while the Police Service Commission should issue letters of appointment to the recruits.

    He said that the issues had not been fully resolved hence the temporary suspension of the recruitment exercise.

    Ibrahim who said that President Muhammadu Buhari, has already intervened in the disagreement assured that within a week the issue would be resolved.

    He noted that there was no truth in the speculation that the National Assembly wanted to take over the recruitment.

    He said, “Honestly, it (recruitment exercise) has to be suspended for two obvious reasons. First, everybody knows that it was agreed that this recruitment must be done per local government.

    “The reason for that is that we are poised to give emphasis to community policing. The local governments are the smallest recognised units by the constitution. So nine (recruits) per local government, they will form the nucleus for this community policing per local government.

    “The obstacle was equal per state. Some people felt that it is not representative of federal character.

    “I asked them what about what is happening in the National Assembly, in which the number of person per state in the House of Representatives is by the size of the local governments of that state, why the Senate is by equality of state.

    “But even that is not the main argument. The main argument is that the police is divided into divisional units under a Divisional Police Officer (DPO).. Most of these DPO are current with the local government areas.

    “Therefore, if the police want the recruitment to be based on local governments, they are right because the smallest units are the Divisional Police Units (DPU).

    Now, the commission somehow decided differently, and police also decided differently. So that is the first issue. The second issue is the issue of

    “There is even this legal aspect that the police should recruit from Inspectors downwards, and the commission approves and gives letters of appointment.

    “This is another area of conflict.

    “But the president has intervened and probably, within the next one week, final decision will be taken on what should be done.

    “But the main issues are these disagreements. Police say it is per local government, while the commission says it should be per state.

    “And we are saying the recruitment should be per local government for the recruits and the rank and files, while the officers should be equality per state.

    “This is because the officers’ cadres go anywhere, but these rank and files, we want them to remain in their communities to form the nucleus of community policing.

    “So these are very serious disagreement that we have seen and the president has now waded in.

    “They are going to find us a position that we are going to take on this recruitment.

    “I hear some rumours that the National Assembly wants to take over the recruitment. How can we do that?

    “Those who don’t want this thing to go on are saying it is against federal character, which kind of federal character when we are talking of community policing.

    “After all, the DPUs are they based on federal character. It is by size and population. And there is even a requirement of thirty thousand persons per police officer.

    “That is not true, how can we take over when we are not part of the executive. And does he take instruction from me.

    “I told him my reservations and advised him that he should suspend it until these things are sorted out.

    “The National Assembly cannot do the recruitment but we have interest on how it is done. That is part of our oversight function. It is not correct, it is just rumour.

    “How can you do community policing if for example, a state like Bayelsa with eight local governments you give them 240 policemen and Kano with forty four local governments, you give them two hundred and forty policemen.

    “How can they have community policing because there in Bayelsa, they will have 30 policemen per local government but in Kano they will have five or four per local government.

    “Is it the samething. And this community policing is something that will save Nigerian police because we believe that if we have community policing, people will be more committed.

    “There will be less corruption, synergy between the people in the area will be much better and they will be much better to fight crime.

    “So, it did not just come out of the blues that it should be based on local governments’ basis.”

  • Senate seeks use of biometric identification for criminal records

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Senator Abu Ibrahim, Tuesday said that the Crime and Criminal Tracking System Bill, which seeks to provide for the design, development, installation and management of a robust crime and criminal tracking system for the Nigeria Police would enhance national security.

    Senator Ibrahim said that criminal tracking system would work through automation of criminal records with biometric identification information for background security checks, crime investigation and prosecution and counter – terrorism and for related matters.

    The Katsina South lawmaker spoke at a public hearing on Crime and Criminal Tracking System Bill and the Traffic Warden Bill which seeks to Repeal section 59-69 of the Police Act Cap 359 Laws of the federation of Nigeria 1990 and to re-enact the Traffic Warden Service which shall be responsible for the appointment, promotion and discipline of traffic Wardens, issuance of certificate of appointment and discharge and for other related matters.

    These bills, he said, couldn’t have come at any other better time other than now considering the increasing threats to security in the country.

    He said, ‘The Senate especially this Committee is committed toward the provision of adequate legal framework for effective policing and crime control in our society.

    “The bills when passed will certainly help in enhancing in-depth investigation of crime and control in the country.”

    He noted that the public hearing will afford all the invited stakeholders and members of the public a very good opportunity to make their contributions on bills to enable the Senate pass the bills into Law.