Lukman Olabiyi
Senator representing Osun Central Constituency, Dr. Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru, has declared that the current campaign against police brutality and extra-judicial killings tagged #EndSARSprotest would only amount to temporary solution but not permanent.
He said what the country needs now is total police reform which will pave way for permanent solution to crisis rocking Nigeria’s security system.
The senator, who had earlier made similar observation while presenting a bill before the Senate on establishment of states’ police, said there had been a deep seated and strong resistance to the idea of police reforms in the country.
Against the background of wide ranging protests in major towns and cities calling for the abrogation of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Basiru said unless reforms generated by several high levels committees spanning over 20 years were revisited and implemented, Nigeria police would remain largely ineffective.
The senator said 20 years of debate on policing and reforms have largely gone un-implemented due to the force against state police.
He added that as a result of resistance to police reform public perception of the Police had remained poor while it continued to be plagued with corruption, impunity, lack of accountability, gross incompetence and failure to maintain law and order.
Basiru stated that the only way the issue could be addressed is to change the perception of the citizens and transform the police into a true public service organ capable of guaranteeing security of Nigerians.
The senator further hinted that the recently enacted Police Act 2020 might not meet the citizens expectation of an effective policing, insisting that what the country needs is total police reform.
He said: “There is need for a wholesale review and redefinition of the role, function and organisational structure of the police to demilitarise it and inject in its operation neutrality as well as autonomous organisational set up, functionality, specialisation, institutional accountability and service orientation.”
Basiru, however, noted that the enactment of the Police Act 2020 was an important step going forward