Withdrawing police from VIPs will worsen insecurity – Abba

Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim (APC Yobe East), in an exclusive interview with TAIYE ODEWALE speaks on raging issues in the land, one of which was the order given by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris , that the roughly 150,000 Police personnel attached to Very Important Personalities (VIPs) across the country should be withdrawn and posted to operational line of duties which the Senator believes would be counterproductive. Excepts!
How would you react to the news that the abducted Dapchi School Girls have been released by their abductors, the Boko Haram insurgents?
It is very cheering news that the abducted school girls have been released. We thank the Almighty Allah for softening the minds of the insurgents in doing this through prayers offered to Him by parents of the girls, Dapchi community, government and people of Yobe State and in fact, generality of Nigerians.
One must also thank and commend the security agencies for the efforts made towards rescuing the girls and of course, our neighbouring countries for their cooperation with Nigerian government which has officially confirmed, facilitated the release of the girls.

But not all the abducted girls were released going by the figures given?
Yes, if we are to go by the figures given by the government, out of the 110 girls abducted on the 19 of February from the school, 104 were released, meaning that six are left or one is left, if we are to believe that five died in their hands within the 31 days of captivity. But the good thing is that most of the abducted girls have been released which, of course, is a big relief for their parents and relatives.
For those yet to be released, there is hope that they will also be released be it the girls from Dapchi or Chibok in Borno State where over 100 of those abducted in April 2014 are believed to still be in captivity of Boko Haram .
The President Muhammadu Buhari-led government that has been securing the release of these girls and other abductees since 2016 through negotiations with their abductors, will surely ensure their release through continued support of Nigerians and neighbouring countries.
But some Nigerians are already seeing this abduction thing to be money spinning business for Boko Haram going by the alleged huge amount of money being paid for release of abductees to the insurgents by the federal government?
I have no information on that because I am not in the executive arm of government and to be precise, a security operative. What is clear to me and other Nigerians is that these abductions are taking place as a result of lack of required manpower in the most strategic security agencies like the Police and the Military.
Imagine a country of about 170million people being policed by roughly 300,000 policemen? That to me and in fact , by international standard , is grossly inadequate , the very reason why we have problem of internal security.
In curbing the problem, the federal government needs to, as a matter of urgent national importance, increase the number of policemen from the radius of 300,000 it is now, to nothing less than 500, 000 within a spate of two years not minding the huge wage bill it would cost it. This is so because of what essence is the government putting other things on ground without adequate security for lives and properties in the society which is even the primary responsibility of any government anywhere in the world.
Doing that to me will even help the government to tackle the problem of unemployment in the land, particularly among the youths, many of whom, have taken to crime as a result of joblessness.

But the VIPs in the society are seen to be part of the problem because about 150, 000 of the grossly inadequate personnel in the Police are orderlies or body guards to you VIPs, leading to the recent pronouncement of the IG withdrawing them into operational line of duties for general security of Nigerians . What is your take on this?
As earlier said, the way out is for government to embark on massive recruitments of personnel into the security outfits and not withdrawing those providing special security for those being categorised as VIPs in the society perhaps by virtue of positions they hold.
Look 300,000 policemen for a country of about 170million people is insecurity on its own. You address it by either doubling or tripling the number for effective policing of the country day and night, not by removing those doing the required work in the private homes of some privileged Nigerians.
In fact, if the IG is allowed to carry out the plan, it would surely be counterproductive because, commercially- driven kidnappers and abductors will now be given easy access to the VIPs for perpetration of such heinous crimes on them and their family members and by extension, further smearing the image of the country .
Imagine a Senator or member of the House of Representatives being kidnapped or abducted in exchange for the ransom that would be demanded. The said VIPs need special security protection for now, to save the country from very damaging embarrassment.
Yes, all Nigerians need to be well protected at all times by the security agencies since no life is more precious than the other, but the truThis that most of those complaining that the VIPs have ‘cornered’ all of the available policemen to themselves for personal security services, have no value for being kidnapped for monetary gains.
So, the IG needs to be careful in handling their complaints so as not to turn a bad situation to worse or worst one.

 

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