Retired IGPs, CPs attend retreat in Ibadan to brainstorm on better policing in Nigeria.
Retired
Inspectors General of Police ( IGP) as well as retired commissioners
of police led by the Police Service Commission 's chairman ex IGP Dr.
Solomon Arase today in Ibadan attended a retreat for better policing
and the role of ex police chiefs in addressing security challenges in
Nigeria.
The retreat taking place at the Institute
of Tropical Agriculture IITA Ibadan had the Chairman of the Committee
of Retired Inspectors General of Police, Alhaji Aliyu Atta, Ogbonnaya
Onovo, Hafix Ringim, Dr. Solomon Arase, the Chairman Police Service
Commission and Ibrahim Kpotun Idris , Dr. Mike Okiro, Sunday Ehindero,
and the acting Inspector General of Police, Dr. Olukayode Egbetokun
present at the opening ceremony of the event. Other police chiefs
present at the retreat include former Lagos state commissioner of police
and special adviser on security to the Oyo state government retired CP
Owoseni Fatia among others.
Present to deliver
lectures at the retreat with the theme; 'Intervention Of Ex-Inspectors
General of Police For Strategic Contribution To Effective Policing In
Nigeria" are lecturers from the Institute For Peace, Security and Humanitarian Studies University of Ibadan led by the Head of the Institute ,Associate
Professor Ruth Ochanya Adio Moses and the Director of Multidisciplinary Studies ,
Prof Olawale Albert.
Topical
papers presented at the retreat include: Current State of Police
Preparedness; Issues, Challenges and Prospects and Strategic actions and
steps towards restoring NPF's primacy in internal security architecture
of Nigeria among others
It
was gathered that there will also be a discussion and
experience-sharing session on the imperativeness of employing the
experiential knowledge of the retired IGPs in the effective management
of internal security in Nigeria.
Alhaji
Aliyu Attah GCON, retired Inspector General of Police and Chairman of
the Committee had said the retreat would afford the ex-IGPs the
opportunity to examine and proffer solutions using their varied
experiences while in service. He said “Once a policeman always a
policeman. We want to wake the curiosity about the service itself among
the populace, we want to wake it up again because it appears the
profession of the police has been bulkanized and taken over by other
organizations like the army, SSS, NSCDC, NDLEA, Road safety and what
have you, so we want to reawaken Nigerians for the need for effective
and efficient police force that can deliver. We the retired IGPs we are
here to meet with the incumbent IGP tell him the pitfalls, where we
faltered and where we gained grounds so we can have a better police
force. Nigeria Police Force has been underfunded, under-equipped
understaffed, under everything. So that when we want us to perform you
give us what we need to perform with. Why do our police officers go out
on peace keeping mission in other countries and they are doffed the best
and when they come back people look at them with disdain. We must have
to evolve culture of lawfulness, most Nigerians are law breakers,
culture of lawfulness that is what we need so that we can live in a
peaceful country.”
Speaking
at the retreat, retired IGP Ogbonaya Onovo said “This conference is
first of its kind and plan to be having it once in every three months,
in other to know what is going on in the Force and suggest to the
government and the police itself so that we can have advanced police
that the country deserves. With this kind of conference with the serving
IGP, he will be able to know what the public wants of the police and
how to go by it.Ours is to recommend and watch its implementation.
Sunday Ehinderor another ex-IGP said " Today we interacted with the IGP
so that he may learn from us how we policed the country during our
time.We shared our experience and our expectations from him and the
expectation from members of the public and we all agreed that the time
has come that the retired IGPs will not be docile, its time to
contribute to the good governance of the country. There are many
challenges the police is facing, don’t forget that crime is dynamic. In
Our days what we faced was armed robbery but today, we have banditry,
cyber crime, kidnapping for ransom, terrorism and sit at home in some
places; crime will always occur but it is the ability of the police to
thrive in the midst of chaos, that is the hallmark of policing. And we
are sure the present IGP is well equipped for these challenges.