The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki has called for general improvement on the security infrastructure of the country.
Saraki made the call on Saturday in Offa when he visited the Olofa of Offa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi in his palace over Thursday’s armed robbery attack on five banks.
According to the Senate President, Nigeria’s security challenges are as a result of the country’s inadequate response to security.
“All the issue had to do with how we will improve on our security infrastructure. It is clear that we are not responding adequately to this.
“That is why we organised a security summit sometime ago to address the issue and to work close with the executive and see how we can find solution to the security problems in the country.
“We, on the legislative arm, are ready to come up with the real design to improve on the security challenges, whether it is the human resources, equipment, whether it has to do with funding and legislation,” Saraki said.
The president of the senate also said that the country security challenges have to do with the actual structure of the police.
“This issue requires a very radical and serious minded approach. Unless we address this, we will continue to have this kind of scenario where a bunch of criminals will hold a town for two hours and carry out this mayhem.
“There is no society that will really allow this kind of thing to happen.
‘In a place like Offa that is very vibrant in commerce, we must address security challenge so that people can continue to carry out their normal activities.
“The police must see this as an institutional issue. It is not personal. On our part as legislators we are ready to do anything that will empower them,” Saraki said.
Saraki expressed his condolence to the families of both the civilians and the policemen that were killed during the incident.
Speaking with reporters, Oba Gbadamosi re-echoed the clamour in some quarters, for the establishment of state police.
“It will be better for the Federal Government to establish state police.
“With that they will be closer to the people and to the state government. This is the fourth time that we will experience armed robbery in Offa in the last ten years,” Oba Gbadamosi said.
The royal father identified inadequate manpower as one of the major problems facing the police in Nigeria, adding that only 50 policemen were deployed to serve in Offa local government.
He, therefore, called on the Federal Government to recruit more young men and women into the police force
“The state government can afford to buy us Armored Personnel Carrier (APC), it can afford to build more police station, but if the manpower is not there, it is useless.
“What the Federal Government needs to do is to employ as many graduates as possible from those looking for jobs into the police force, Army, Air Force and the Navy.
There are a lot of unemployed graduates that are ready to join these military and Para-military forces,” the Oba said. (NAN)
