Foremost Women Market leader in Anambra State, Chief Mrs Ifeyinwa Ezenwa has implored President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to expedite action on the signing of the Bill on State Policing into law.
Chief Ezenwa who spoke to journalists during a Press Conference in Awka, the Anambra State capital Tuesday, also asked the National Assembly to look into the Bill as a matter of urgency and expedite action in ensuring that the Bill becomes law, to protect the communities that make up Nigeria from crime.
The fiery Women Leader, while speaking, said the dangers of insecurity can no more be ignored, as it had rapidly crept into the nooks and crannies of the fabrics of the country, even as it has found its way into Abuja, the nation’s capital. She also said security organizations like the United Nigeria Chaplaincy Corps which was established years ago and functions across the country would serve as a perfect organization for the take off of community policing if signed into law.
Hear her “When the issue of State police came up, we were happy. We thought by now, every community would have had men of the state police, through alternative security outfits to manage and protect the citizens and welfare from crime and criminality. I stand today, to remind the Federal Government that the United Nigeria Chaplaincy is good to go, to start from the federal level to state, to the local government areas into the communities, for community policing to be effective.
“We have political representatives at the national assembly, and they have recently been discussing the recent security breakdown in Abuja.
“We have a bill at the National Assembly, concerning signing the issue of community policing into law. We also know that the United Nigeria Chaplaincy Corp bill is also waiting to be considered and signed into law. The organization has its presence all over the country, and what is left to have it start functioning is the bill, which would give it legitimacy.
“The difference between community policing and the Nigeria Police is that men and women in the state police formations are locals who understand the community. They can easily detect criminals and their presence and are the best people to tackle security and hand over criminals to the Nigeria Police. This is what is obtainable in places like America where you have the Federal Police and the state police.
“I call on our senators and House of Representatives members to get to work. You don’t want to wait until your loved one is killed by kidnappers or your community is attacked by marauders before you know that there is fire on the mountain. Over the last ten years, security has gradually deteriorated till now, and you can see that almost the whole country is unsafe.
I call on Mr President, and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu to accent to the State policing bill, the United Nigeria Corps bill and have them signed into law, so that our country may be safe once more. We need security in this country.
“Please listen to us now, and act before it gets worse than it is right now”, she stated.