The House of Representatives Committee on Police Affairs yesterday met behind closed doors with the Inspector-General of Police, Muhammed Adamu, and the police top hierarchy, over rising insecurity in the country.
It was gathered that the parley is also to afford the House an opportunity to mediate in the face-off between the police authority and the Police Service Commission (PSC) over the planned recruitment of 10,000 recruits into the force.
The meeting was attended by the Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Bingyadi, the PSC chairman, Musilu Smith, among others. Speaking shortly before the meeting went into a closed-door session, the chairman, House Committee on Police Affairs, Bello Kumo, said the parley is to enable the parliament interface with the police on rising insecurity.
Apparently referring to the face-off between the police and the PSC, Kumo, said the meeting would also afford the lawmakers opportunity to mediate in a “minor “ issue. According to him,
“we want to hear from you and mediate. We want to mediate in the issue. Each and everyone here will agree with me that there is a need for an urgent and radical approach to the security issues in the country.
Innocent lives are being lost every minute in the country, whether through Boko Haram, herders/farmers clash, kidnappings or whatever you may call it. The security issue is a cause for worry.
“Even when our able president, magnanimously said go and recruit, we don’t see why we should be having issues. We are a country governed by laws. We believe that at the end of this meeting, we will all go come out as members of one family because the three segments are to complement one another. We will resolve into an executive session.
“ The police and the PSC have been at loggerheads over the planned recruitment of 10,000 recruits into the force with the service commission suspending the exercise.”