Declare emergency on national security – Senate advises Buhari.
The Nigerian Senate has called for the declaration of a state of emergency on the national security – The Senators said Nigeria’s present security architecture has been overstretched – According to the lawmakers, if Nigeria really wants to tackle its insecurity correctly, then the nation should look at state policing As part of the resolution reached by lawmakers of the ninth Senate, President Muhammadu Buhari has been asked to declare a state of emergency on the nation’s security. The lawmakers during the plenary on Wednesday, January 29, deliberated on the security challenges in Nigeria. The senators also considered the restructuring of the current security architecture of the country.
Speaking during the plenary, the deputy Senate president, Ovie Omo-Agege said that the present security architecture of Nigeria has been overstretched and cannot be as effective as it used to be. Omo-Agege said there is already an agreement in different security stakeholders quarters for the establishment of community policing in the country.
However, he said there is an uncertainty hovering on what the structure and component of the proposed community policing will be like. Also speaking, Oluremi Tinubu said if Nigeria really wants to tackle its insecurity correctly, then the nation should look at state police. Tinubu urged states government that are ready to venture into community policing to go ahead with their plans. Furthermore, the red chamber unanimously agreed that President Buhari declares a national emergency on security. The lawmakers also suggested that an ad-hoc committee be set up to engage the security agencies and report back to the Senate.
The committee is also expected to engage the national security institution to discuss their operational structures, funding, equipment, and staff in position with a view to reviewing the national security architecture to make it more responsive in tackling the various security challenges in Nigeria.