Date: 2016-10-24

The Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdufatah Ahmed has called for the creation of additional layers of policing to effectively tackle the growing security challenges facing the country.

Governor Ahmed made the call during a panel discussion at the symposium for Northern Nigeria Governors organized by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington DC.

He said that Nigeria had different layers of policing in the past, particularly in the early 1960s, which worked efficiently for the country before they collapsed due to change in government.

While commending the Nigeria Police for its efforts at securing lives and property in the country, Governor Ahmed said it is becoming more challenging for the present policing system of the country to take care of the country's critical needs, stressing that federal police as it is currently constituted cannot provide the required policing for the whole country.

The governor said in view of the growing population of Nigeria, it has become imperative for the country to have additional layers of policing to guarantee maximum security of lives and property.

Alhaji Ahmed, who said there are local security organizations such as vigilante groups in almost every community, noted that in creating local policing system, the government only requires to formalize these groups into well structured and trained security organizations with specific roles and responsibilities.

According to him, this will enable them carry out security support service and compliment the efforts of the police in curbing crimes and ensuring adequate security for the country at all levels.