The House of Representatives has waded into the logjam between the Police Services Commission (PSC) and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, over recruitment into the force.
This followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance by Rep. Mitema Obordor (PDP-Bayelsa) during plenary in Abuja.
The motion is titled: ”Resolving the Impasse: An Urgent Need to Investigate and Settle Lingering Police Recruitment Dispute Halting the 2023/2024 Police Recruitment.
Obordor presented a motion stating that the Nigerian police is under supervision of the PSC, which has the power to appoint, promote, and dismiss all officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) except the IGP.
This, he said, was intended to broker a relationship of trust and confidence between the public and the police.
Obordor said that given the population of Nigeria and security situation in the country, the ideal police-to-citizen ratio in Nigeria ought to be one police officer to 200 citizens.
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He, however, said the country currently has a ratio of one police officer to 650 citizens, indicating a significant shortfall in the Nigerian police strength.
This, he said, was far below the United Nations recommendation of one police officer to 450 citizens.
He said the lingering dispute between the PSC and the IGP resulted in an impasse and had regrettably halted the ongoing recruitment process for almost 10 months.
The lawmaker said there is a critical need to strengthen the Nigerian police force by setting a ratio of one police officer to 200 citizens.
He said it was imperative to adopt the United Nations recommendation of a ratio of one police officer to 450 citizens to address the escalating security challenges facing our nation.
He added that the shortage of police personnel had reduced police presence in communities, thereby leading to a surge in crime rates as criminals took advantage of the situation.
Adopting the motion, the house urged its committees on police to investigate the root cause of the lingering dispute between the PSC and the IGP.
This, it said, was to resolve the dispute, proceed with recruitment process without further delay, and report to it with recommendations within four weeks.
The House also urged the Federal Government to provide adequate funding and resources necessary to support recruitment and training of police officers.
It also urged the Federal Government to increase the number of police personnel to be recruited and, in doing so, ensure federal character provisions as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution are strictly adhered to. (NAN)
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