As the debate on the increasing level of killings and banditry across the country rages and becomes fiercer, a member of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has advocated total overhauling of the country’s security architecture and the creation of State Police as panacea and best strategies to subdue insecurity pummeling all the geo-political zones across the nation.
Bamidele, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, reminded that the recurrent and seemingly invincible cases of gruesome killings, kidnappings, banditry, ethnoreligious and social clashes as well as the unabated spate of sporadic bombings by Boko Haram insurgents have become potential threats to the corporate existence of the Nigerian nation.
Also espousing more remedial steps that can tame the monster, Bamidele called for the immediate sack of the security chiefs, having overstayed in their respective positions and exhibited crass incapacitation and ineptitude to tackle the hydra-headed insecurity that holds the country by the jugular.
In a statement from his Media Office, on Thursday, Bamidele who is representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District averred that the country must act swiftly and establish a new order that has become a global phenomenon in policing system, having realised that the old order had crumbled and become egregiously ineffective.
Tracing the trajectory of how the decadence crept into the security system, Bamidele said: “We must understand who we are and our history to even understand who we were and where we are. We must not forget our 300 years of slavery and plundering as a people. We must not forget that was followed by another 100 years (1861-1960) of colonial exploitation of our land. and then of course 29 years of military intervention in our politics and many years of civilian misrule.
“Our old order is crumbling. That’s the issue. It is not a peculiarity of Nigeria. Other civilised societies went through this. But when an old order is crumbling, it doesn’t matter who is responsible. What is important is that those who are in control must be ready to fixed the crises. Even if we are responsible we would be guilty of conspiracy if we don’t do what we are supposed to do.
” I think enduring legislative intervention is needed. We have to amend the Constitution to accommodate more modern and shrewd strategies that can decentralise how we police our people.
“The Senate had addressed this issue decisively on the need to restructure our security architecture. Restructuring is something that will pervade many areas of our life. However, how can we talk about restructuring our security architecture if the entire world is talking about a new world police order , because the old order is crumbling or has crumbled in many parts of the world.
” The whole world is talking about a new world economic and political order but we are seated here finding it difficult to respond to our own order that is crumbling. We need to change our security architecture. Primarily is the fact that we need a new police order in this country.
“There is a difference between federal and national police. Federal police is what we have. And it is what has not been able to serve us. Although It was good for sometimes. Even under Sunday Adewusi and every other. In 2020, Nigeria must not be left out in the new order. Legislative intervention is what we need. Why is it so difficult to amend our constitution? Who is afraid of state police that our people are clamouring for.
“Our people want security architecture restructured. Our people also feel our service chiefs have overstayed and there is a need for new blood to be injected into the fold. We are told that a service Chief has served 40 years in the service by 2020 and how it is time for them to bow out and allow new ideas to take the centre stage to bail us out of this conundrum”, he stated.
Bamidele also pointed to the fact that State Police where they exist, would only complement the efforts of the Federal Police, saying that the present police formation is already overwhelmed by daunting security challenges.
The federal parliamentarian stressed that most of the security chiefs have overstayed in that position and should be meritoriously encouraged to vacate to allow new personnel with fresh ideas and more ingenious initiatives to handle the security challenges staring Nigerians in the face.
