Former presidential candidate and a prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has called upon Chief Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to enforce the APC’s policy of decentralizing policing in order to curb the escalating levels of insecurity, violence, and kidnapping across the nation.
Civil society organizations, represented by the Civil Society Joint Action Group, revealed last week that during the first eight months of President Tinubu’s administration, 2,423 individuals lost their lives while 1,872 others were abducted.
The group highlighted that insecurity has persisted through the last three administrations, with 24,816 Nigerians killed and 15,597 individuals abducted during President Buhari’s previous term, spanning from 2019 to 2023.
Expressing his dismay, Olawepo-Hashim condemned the barbaric acts of killings and kidnappings in a recent statement.
He lamented the presence of marauding gangs of terrorists and kidnappers, likening their movements to guerrilla warfare across many Nigerian states.
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He stated, “I fail to comprehend the reluctance on the part of the President and the party leadership to take decisive action. With many state governments and local councils under APC’s control, along with the majority in the National Assembly and various state assemblies, the party holds the legislative consensus required to establish State Policing within a short timeframe.”
The demand for the establishment of State Police Force has been growing as a response to the deteriorating security situation, contrary to the provisions of Section 214 of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution.
Olawepo-Hashim contended that while the immediate implementation of local policing may not completely resolve all security challenges, it could address up to 50% of the issue.
He emphasized, “We cannot afford to allow the bloodshed to persist while we appear indecisive about the necessary actions needed to halt it.”