Following Tuesday night’s bandits’ attack on four villages in two local government areas of Zamfara state that claimed 30 lives, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has insisted that the country cannot continue with a centralized policing system, saying the need for state and community policing was non-negotiable with recent Nigeria’s reality.
Aside from adopting state and community policing system, the opposition party urged the President Muhammdu Buhari-led administration to conduct a holistic rejigging of the country’s national security architecture as part of measures to arrest the escalating insecurity.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Olagbondiyan, said that it was saddening that Buhari’s incompetency has led the country into a sorry state such that killings have become a pass time across Nigeria without visible solution to end the scourge.
Through a statement on Thursday, Ologbondiyan maintained that it was worrisome that bandits and terrorist elements are now holding Nigeria to ransom due to the manifest lack of commitment by the Buhari Presidency.
According to him, our nation has become an expansive killing field where bandits, terrorists, kidnappers, and invaders are having a field day despoiling our communities and killing our compatriots under President Buhari.
“Our party recalls that we had advised President Buhari to conduct a holistic rejigging of our national security architecture but Mr. President only replaced the faces of the service chiefs, without any attention to serious operational issues, as if the replacement of commanders were the exclusive magic wand for the security challenges facing our nation.
“In the same vein, our party had demanded for the decentralization of the police structure in a manner that will allow for effective state and community policing in the country. Rather than implement such, the Buhari presidency, as well as the APC, are toying with constabulary system of policing even when it is clear that such cannot be a direct response to the level of banditry and insecurity pervading our nation today.
“The fact is that the situation in our nation today has become too critical and demanding a surgical approach, including amendment to our constitution and other statutes that will allow for an effective community police system. It is clear to all, that no matter the number of the Inspector Generals that are replaced, the policing structure of our nation will remain ineffective if left under the prevailing statutory framework.
“For the umpteenth time, the PDP charges President Buhari to wake up from slumber, stop his unnecessary rhetoric, blame games and lame marching orders and take bold steps to rejig our national security architecture to guarantee the protection of lives and property in our country.
“Our party holds that President Buhari, as the commander-in-chief, who promised to lead from the front, cannot be sleeping on duty or having penchant for overseas trips when our nation is on the edge,” the statement said.
