South-East Governors settle differences with IG over community policing

By CHARLES IWUOHA

Governors of South-East states on Wednesday settled their differences with the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, over the modalities for Community Policing planned for the southeast.

Governor of Ebonyi State and Chairman of Southeast Governors’ Forum, David Umahi stated this after a virtual meeting of the governors with the IGP.

The Governors had on Sunday rejected a proposed template for setting up community policing in the region.

The governors, at the Sunday meeting in Enugu, expressed disappointment with the Mr Adamu for reneging on an earlier agreement they had with the police on the practice and composition of community policing for the zone

They also asked the five state Houses of Assembly in the region to commence enactment of state security laws that will give legal backing to the establishment of a regional security outfit in line with its joint security programme for the zone.

But after the virtual meeting on Wednesday, which also had other leaders and stakeholders from the region in attendance, the Governors and the Police IG resolved their differences.

Speaking in Abakaliki after the meeting, Umahi blamed the Commissioners of Police in the region for the disagreement.

“The meeting centred on the communiqué we issued after our Sunday meeting of Governors of Southeast at Enugu.

“We the governors of Southeast and our leaders, were the first to accept community policing because of the beautiful ingredients of the community policing the IG explained to us when we had the meeting at Enugu.

“We saw that the idea in the policy would assist us and so when the CPs made a mistake by going to do the composition by themselves and asked the governors to inaugurate, we felt that something was wrong somewhere and we had to contact IG.

“IG agreed today that the CPs made a mistake, anyone that has gone ahead to do the selection process made a mistake. That it was entirely for the governors and stakeholders to sit down and do the selection.

“Today, we met again, discussed and reached an agreement,” Umahi said.

The governor said the IG agreed with the position of the governors that the various Community security apparatus already in existence at the local government and Community levels be included in the new scheme.

“The IG said we should give him those selected and the Police will train them they will then do the community policing and of course the Advisory Committee is to be headed by the Traditional Rulers of the various communities with some selected stakeholders as members.

“This is at the community level and this is acceptable to the governors of southeast and leaders,” Umahi said.

Mr Umahi said the meeting unanimously agreed that there will be a local government advisory committee to be headed by the local government Chairman at each local government area.

“The membership includes all the DPOs and heads of other security agencies, the traditional rulers in each local government and other stakeholders,” he said.

Mr Umahi said that at the state level the governor, the security chiefs, traditional rulers council chairman and members of some selected stakeholders and interest group will be members of the Advisory Committee.

“This is what we have agreed and we also agreed that the states will implement theirs and inaugurate in their various states. When next we meet at Enugu, we will harmonize our views in line with these agreements we reached,” he said.

The Governors, according to Umahi also agreed that each state should pass a similar law which will be called southeast security law based on the guidelines agreed at the meeting.

Others who attended the virtual meeting include Ohanaeze Ndigbo Chairman, Ogbonnaya Nwodo,  Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Jim Nwobodo, Traditional Rulers, General Obi Umahi (rtd) amongst others.