It’s harvest time for Yobe’s community policing
El-Kanemi said while the state government was always willing to provide requisite support and logistics for security agencies to fight crime, traditional institutions on the other hand, always saw reason to embrace repentant criminals, accept them into the society, empower them effectively and use them as sources of information to apprehend others who want to […]
El-Kanemi said while the state government was always willing to provide requisite support and logistics for security agencies to fight crime, traditional institutions on the other hand, always saw reason to embrace repentant criminals, accept them into the society, empower them effectively and use them as sources of information to apprehend others who want to wreak havoc on the people.
As at now, available statistics show that Yobe State is among those with low crime prevalence in the country. “The reason is that all stakeholders have realised that none of them can work in isolation. The police, army, civil defence, SSS, state and local government authorities, vigilante groups, social and ethnic groups are working as a team to fight crime,” the royal father said.
The royal father stated this in his palace when he received in audience Mr Efuntayo Olusegun, the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in charge of ‘F Department’ at the force headquarters Abuja.
The DIG had earlier told the Emir of Damaturu that the Nigeria police could not comprehensively protect the lives and property of Nigerians without adequate support from traditional rulers.
DIG Efuntayo said he was in Yobe State because of the rising insecurity in some parts of the country which prompted the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr Ogbonna Onovo to send his management team, comprising all the DIGs to the 12 Zonal Commands and state headquarters in the country to appraise the crime prevention measures put in place by the police with a view to enhancing good policing.
“This tour is equally to restore confidence in the minds of the members of the public on police readiness to serve and protect the lives of Nigerians especially now that campaigns ahead of 2011 elections are about to start,” the DIG said.
He said efforts were being made to ensure the implementation of the federal government’s white paper on police reforms, renewed commitment to combating violent crimes and other forms of criminality as well as putting strong machinery on ground a which would enhance the image and welfare of police personnel.
Investigation by Kanem Trust revealed that between January 2010 and the third week of April, only 13 cases of armed robbery were recorded while 12 people, all of them males were arrested in connection with the attacks.
A record of crime rate obtained at the state headquarters of the police also showed that within the time under review, security operatives recorded 18 culpable homicide cases and 32 suspects arrested; 5 rape cases and 7 suspects arrested; 5 mischief cases and 7 suspects arrested; 7 house breaking cases and 4 suspects arrested; 74 different cases of theft and stealing with 131 suspects arrested in connection with the crimes.
The state police command had also recorded 9 cases of grievous harm and arrested 11 people in connection with the crime as well as 2 cases of breach of public peace with 10 suspects arrested.
However, throughout the period, there was never a reported case of kidnapping or arson in all the 17 local government areas of the state which has a population of about 2.5 million people and a land mass of 47, 153 square kilometres as well as diverse ethnic groups including Kanuri, Manga, Fulani, Kere-kere, Bolawa, Bade, Hausa, Ngamo, Babur among many others.
“When you put together all the crimes committed in the state between January and now, you will realise that the figure is quite insignificant when compared with what obtains in other states especially in the southern part of Nigeria”, Malam Ibrahim Dan Bauchi, a private security outfit manager observed.
The Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Adamu Maina Waziri, coincidentally an indigene of Yobe State who was also in Damaturu on a courtesy call on Governor Ibrahim Gaidam, reiterated the need for effective security as an antidote for political, social and economic development in Nigeria.
Specifically, the minister told journalists that reviving community policing would be one of his cardinal objectives within the limited period he would run the affairs of the Nigeria police.
“Community policing exemplifies a situation whereby everybody is a policeman who detects crime before it happens, it is the best way of ensuring a crime- free society,” Waziri said.
Governor Ibrahim Gaidam said since the beginning of the present administration, government had been working closely with security agencies and the relationship is yielding positive results.
Gaidam said the state government recently purchased additional 34 Hilux vehicles and would be handed over to the police very soon for effective surveillance.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Mamman Sule, said the modest achievements recorded by his command had a lot to do with the assistance it was receiving from the state government.
He said between 2007 and now, the command received over 70 vehicles from the state government. “The state government has been providing funds for the fuelling of our patrol vehicles as well as allowances for our men and officers who are on 24 hours patrol,” the commissioner said.
“The state government also constructed 16 units of two bedroom flats at Potiskum, renovated the temporary state police headquarters in Damaturu, constructed a standard police station in Potiskum, constructed an armoury and 10 units of one bedroom flats and renovated offices and staff canteen at the 41 PMF Squadron base in Damaturu”, the police commissioner added.
He said working equipment, security and welfare were sin quo non to effective policing. “The police are human beings like other people and therefore, need basic privileges of life to do their work very well. Though the police is a federal government’s establishment, the Yobe State government is doing everything possible to make sure that we are faring better,” he said.
However, the Emir of Damaturu said the rare feat recorded in Yobe State was not achieved on a platter of gold. “There were deliberate and sustained policies put in place by relevant stakeholders to ensure that the tendencies of committing crimes were depleted before they were committed,” he said.
The emir said it always took a lot to have a crime- free society, especially when there were challenges trailing significant members of the society, particularly youths, who wanted to acquire basic privileges of life and even other things that were not necessary.
Shehu Hashimi suggested that governments at the federal, states and local governments should provide job opportunities to ex-convicts and criminals who repented under oath in order to make them self reliant.
“This was exactly what Yobe State government did some 10 years ago,” the royal father recalled, adding that, “at that time, some bandits who served their jail term came to this palace and repented,” he said.
It was learnt that the then governor, Alhaji Bukar Abba Ibrahim, granted the ex – convicts amnesty, gave them money and plots of land for domestic and agricultural purposes which made them an integral part of the society
“In Yobe State, some years back we encouraged the government to offer employment to ex-criminals including armed bandits who repented under oath and the policy has helped a lot in reducing crimes”, the royal father said.
Musa Mahe, an ex-convict now working in one of the ministries in the state, said he jettisoned his old trade because the society which he found himself had accepted him. “I am now a reformed person with my own house and a family. The truth is that nobody is born a criminal, it is the society that forces some people to take to crime,” he said.
It is observed that community policing is working very well in the state because people are always willing to report questionable moves by criminals while the police, army and vigilante groups always carry out joint patrol activities. Residents hope that this partnership remains so.
Cont’d on paeg 45