“It is my conviction that when there is security, justice, peace, and reconciliation in any nation, civil strife will be avoided,” he said.
He said the civil war of 1967 to 1970, which is one of the first major and catastrophic crisis in Nigeria, “occurred based on perceived ethnic and political differences and a feeling of injustice.”
The IG said this at the launch of his book ‘Security and Justice: The Pathway for Peace and Reconciliation in Nigeria’, held in Victoria Island, Lagos.
The police chief said the force was fully prepared for the forthcoming 2019 general elections.
Idris while warning troublemakers to stay aware from the electoral processes, said that enough policemen have been trained for the election.
“We are prepared for the election. We have the men and we have the materials (logistics) to conduct a successful election come 2019,” he said.
The IGP said the case of herders had been fully tackled with the new police units that were created in Benue State.
“The challenges we are having with these herders have gone down. In Benue, we have 15 units on the ground and I have been monitoring their successes.
“Based on that, people have been coming openly to state their problems and it’s through that we can understand each other and reconcile our differences.
“The role of traditional rulers in this reconciliation process cannot be overemphasized because most of them have the ears of their people. When you have a political disagreement in these communities, these traditional rulers are handy,” the police chief said.
The chief cop said while giving an insight into his book said: “As the IGP, it’s my responsibility to put sufficient security architecture in place to manage the challenges aforementioned. I can say with confidence that the emplaced preventive and detective strategies have been largely successful in managing the situation based on my achievement so far.
“However, I have realised that the issue is beyond apprehension and prosecution of offenders. There has to be a speedy dispensation of justice and the protection of rights and interests of the suspects and victims of crime.
“This is the only way people must have a sense of justice, peace, and reconciliation, hence, the title of the book. The primary motivation for this book is to unleash my experience accumulated over a period of 34 years both within and outside Nigeria for the benefit of people interested in security, peace, and justice of Nigeria,” he said.
Former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro called for an urgent need to improve the state of security and justice in the country, in order to prevent friction.
Former IG, Sunday Ehindero, in his speech kicked against the call for state police, adding that Nigeria was not yet matured for it.
No comments:
Post a Comment