Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku on Saturday advocated for state policing as he lamented the federal government’s failure to keep the country safe.
The Governor made the comment when he paid a condolence visit to the residence of the late Ardo-Kola Local government chairman who was kidnapped and murdered on January 24.
According to him, the constitution of the country is defective, hence the need to review it to accommodate state policing accurately for the safety of lives and property, without which insecurity will continuously rear its ugly head.
He insisted that unless the strata of security agencies be broken, the Federal government alone cannot handle the security of the nation.
”Since I came to power, I have repeatedly and I am going to repeat it that unless we breakdown the strata of security agencies in Nigeria, particularly the police, we cannot adequately curtail insecurity,” Ishaku said.
”There must be state police, and there must also be local government police.
”The Federal government alone cannot handle the security of this nation. It has shown that it has failed woefully and for us to achieve results, the security has to be broken down’
”Where we copied this constitution is the United States of America and it has Federal, state, and local government police.
”Where something is bigger than the local government police, the state police comes in and where it is bigger than the state police, the Federal police comes in and where it is bigger than the whole three, then the military is invited.
”The military is the last resort there, but ours here the military is the first resort because we have woefully failed.”
He called on the APC-led government to take the issue of insecurity seriously and find a solution to it.
”I am also calling on all politicians in the position of power to seriously look at the security situation in the country.
”In this state, I have lost so many people that I cannot count, this is a chairman that I have lost now, I lost my own member Taraba state house of Assembly Hosea Ibi and others too numerous to mention.
”And I speak to you, there is tension in the southwest, but do we continue to sleep with one eye closed and keep quiet as if nothing is happening? No.”
”Something is happening which desperately needs an answer.”