The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu’s community policing template has been rejected by the Governors and leaders of the South-East until he follows the agreed procedure of implementation.
This was during the meeting held yesterday in Enugu, attended by the five State Chief Executives, political, religious and other stakeholders.
The Governors expressed disappointment and accused the IGP of going back on the agreement reached with him during the South East Security Summit held in Enugu in January 2020. They also authorized the Houses of Assembly in the zone to begin the approval of state security laws that will give legal backing to the implementation of a locally-driven community policing programme.
According to the statement released at the event, officers from the region were selected to drive the initiative since they would be in a better position to stem the insecurity in the area than any other police officers.
Reports say the IGP may have withdrawn from the initiative following a letter he addressed to the governors asking them to institute “already selected police officers as members of the community policing zone”.
The statement by the Chairman of the South-East Governors Forum and Ebonyi State henchman, David Umahi, suggests that the said selected personnel were not from the region, which necessitated yesterday’s gathering. He said; “the recent communication from the IGP to our governors on community policing composition is not in keeping with the agreement we reached with him during his last visit to the South East,
“In the circumstance, we cannot begin implantation of it until the programme reflects our earlier agreement. The South-East Governors and their leaders request the IGP to revert to our initial agreement reached on community policing at Enugu”.
Just like similar laws to set up “Amotekun” in the South West, “the Forum agreed that all South East State Houses of Assembly should commence the process of enacting the state security laws in line with the South East joint security programme”.
