The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has expressed concern that many Nigerians don’t trust the police, adding that citizens do not also see police officers as their friends.
He restated the need for the government to introduce a reform mechanism that would improve Nigerians’ trust in police.
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Fayemi was quoted as saying this on Sunday during a stakeholders’ forum on community policing, involving heads of security agencies, public servants, politicians, civil society organisations, youth and women organisations, heads of government institutions, trade and professional groups in Ado-Ekiti at the weekend.
The Governor in a statement titled, ‘Community Policing: Fayemi makes case for police reform, need to address trust issues’, Fayemi lamented the non-implementation of a wide range of recommendations made at different conferences on how the Nigeria Police can be reformed in the last 20 years.
Speaking through the State Attorney- General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Wale Fapohunda; Fayemi urged the Federal Government not to despise recommendations made by the Judicial Panel of Inquiry set up in the wake of the ENDSARS protests with special attention on getting justice and compensations for victims of police abuse.
Fayemi said, ‘A large number of our people still don’t see police as their friends. So, it seems to me that an important way we can get that trust is through police reform. We cannot simply hope to achieve the intent of community policing without police reforms.
‘The Federal Government should take seriously the reports of the judicial panel of inquiry that has been set up in the aftermath of the ENDSARS protests. If we are going to move forward we have to look backward and ensure that our people that have serious issues with police are properly compensated and their pains recognised.’
In his part, a former Inspector-General of Police, Mr Sunday Ehindero, urged stakeholders to support the establishment of community policing to tackle the menace of banditry, kidnapping and other security challenges bedevilling the Country.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
