As the government continues to seek a plausible solution to the menace of the dreaded Boko Haram sect in the northern parts of the country, a retired Commissioner of Police, Frank Odita, has called on the Federal Government to dialogue with the sect as a way of stopping the killing of innocent Nigerians.
Odita is also a member of the Police Reform Committee set up early this year.
Odita, while speaking in an interview in Lagos, said the Federal Government should value the lives of Nigerians by showing more resolve to tackle terrorism and other vices in the country.
Odita said: “I believe that there is nothing that dialogue cannot solve and instead of the government losing the lives they are supposed to protect, I would suggest that the government should dialogue with the Boko Haram sect.
“Let us know who these people are and what they want.
“I believe in jaw jaw than war war because at the end of the day, it will be innocent people that will be losing their lives.
“So if this issue can be resolved with dialogue, I would suggest that the government should dialogue.”
Also commenting on the decay in the Nigeria Police, Odita blamed the police woes on the military, which he said marginalised the force during the military era.
He said: “The police force in a democracy is better than the police force in the military era because the military relegates the police to the background as they see the police as second fiddle.
“This long years of neglect is responsible for the rot we see in the police today and nine years of democracy is not enough to change the image of the police.
“There was a time when the police officers were well paid and their welfare was far above the other military forces but that changed during the military era as they saw the police as a threat.
“But with democracy, the police is gradually taking its place in the nation.”
Odita commended the acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, for the dismantling of police checkpoints across the country.
He said this will boost the image of the police.
He added: “Whatever it takes to make the police better should be done and the dismantling the checkpoints is a good sign that will promote the image of the police.
“When you see policemen at the checkpoints collecting money, the image they create is that all policemen are extortionist.
“Also, the police new uniform will boost their morale because when you look at five policemen, you will see five different colours, which is not a good image for the Nigerian Police Force.”
The disparity between conventional policemen and police officers working with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the State Security Service and other government agencies was also condemned by Odita.
He said: “It is very wrong to see that there is disparity among the policemen because they work with different agencies and this should be blamed on the government.
“Why should the government take care of the arms that are carved out from the police and ignore the mother?
“The EFCC was carved out of the police, the SSS, the Federal Road Safety Commission, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agfency and others were taken out of the police but these bodies are well funded by the government while the goose that lays the golden eggs has been neglected.
“So for this disparity to stop, the government should look into the welfare of the officers and take care of them as they are taking care of the other agencies.”