The former IGP, who made this known in his presentation at The Occasion of the Nigeria Union of Journalists 2022 Media Week on Friday in Abuja, also blamed the underdevelopment of the Nigerian Police on the age-long intervention of the Nigerian military in politics.
A former Inspector-General of the Nigeria Police Force, Solomon Arase, has stated that the main duty of the Nigerian Army is to defend the country’s territorial integrity and not partake in any internal socio-economic affairs of the country.
The former IGP, who made this known in his presentation at The Occasion of the Nigeria Union of Journalists 2022 Media Week on Friday in Abuja, also blamed the underdevelopment of the Nigerian Police on the age-long intervention of the Nigerian military in politics.
Arase in his presentation added that since 1999 when the nation returned to civil rule, the police force had become ineffective, following long years of neglect.
He said, “Internal Security of a nation is a catalyst to national development and assurance of citizens’ confidence and strengthening of state’s legitimacy. It is however, a product of synergy between the citizens, the government and security agencies, just as it is driven in modern times, by the engagement of cutting-edge technology and strategic thinking.
“Consequently, any nation desirous of internal security must of necessity develop a National Policy Framework that is designed to strengthen the capacity and relationships within and between strategic actors in the internal security of the State. It is my conviction that until Nigeria appreciates these essentials of internal security management, we, as a nation, may continue to engage reactive approaches and the debate on our internal security and policing question shall continue to resonate.
“Moreover, it is to be emphasised that in a democracy, the role of the Military is clearly demarcated to the defence of the territorial integrity of the nation as against the current situation in our country in which the military is involved in internal security issues including elections. The reason is not far-fetched, the long intervention of the Nigerian Military in governance left the Nigeria police underdeveloped, underfunded and ill-equipped. By 1999 when the nation returned to civil rule, the police force had become deeply ineffective following long years of neglect.”
During his term as Inspector-General of Police, Arase also bemoaned the insufficient number of police officers and asked various state police commands to implement and improve community policing (in the case of commands where it already exists) in order to reduce the country's crime rate.
To bolster his assertion of an under-staffed police force, Arase stated in his address in Minna that the Niger State Command of the Nigeria Police had less than 8,000 officers, putting the ratio at one police officer for every 494 inhabitants.