- Atiku Abubakar said he is happy with the directive of police IG for the withdrawal of police from VIPs
- According to him, policemen are needed to protect schools and guard citizens
- He said the move will enable the policemen focus on effectively protecting lives and property
Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to the order given by the inspector-general of police, Ibrahim Idris, for the withdrawal of police from VIPs saying, it was a good move to address the insecurity situation of the country.
Premium Times reports that Atiku spoke through his media aide, Paul Ibe on Tuesday, March 20, concerning the directive.
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“Our security forces are overstretched. We do not have enough military and paramilitary forces to provide security for the peace-loving people of Nigeria which is why the recent Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State kidnapping occurred. Their school was left unguarded," he said.
Atiku said he had earlier advocated for police to be withdrawn from VIPs so they can concentrate on guarding the citizens.
The statement signed by his media aide read: “Asked by THISDAY on Saturday what he would do different to prevent abduction like Dapchi, the Waziri Adamawa had responded thus: ‘Recently, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Chief Mike Okiro, revealed that 150,000 policemen are guarding various elites and those we know as ‘big men’. If I had my way, I would have recalled all of those 150,000 policemen who are not performing core police duties and send them to provide security for every school in the North-East region.
“That to me would be a better use of their time and services. We already know that Boko Haram has an agenda to cripple Western education in Nigeria. So how could we have left those schools unguarded? Why should the police be guarding VIPs who can afford personal guards and leave vulnerable girls unguarded? We are spending billions of Naira trying to encourage girls to go to school only to allow them be abducted by terrorists.”
The former vice president said he welcomes the reported new policy of reassigning these 150,000 policemen from guarding VIPs to regular police duties. He added that their services are much needed in the protection of schools in the northeast and other troubled zones.
He called on the Buhari-led government to be open to solutions from well-meaning Nigerians and friends of Nigeria so the country can surmount its challenges.
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NAIJ.com had reported that Idris on Monday, March 19, ordered the immediate withdrawal of personnel attached to private companies and individual, Guardian reports.
NAIJ.com notes that the head of the Nigeria Police Public Complaint Rapid Response Unit, stated that Idris also ordered that all the police SPY number plates should be returned to Force Transport Officer.
Recall that NAIJ.com previously reported that the Police Service Commission said that more than 150,000 policemen were attached to VIP’s and unauthorised persons in the country.
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Source: Naija.ng