The Ndigbo Unity Forum (NUF) has called on President Bola Tinubu to recruit 100,000 new police officers every year for the next five years. This plan, they argue, is crucial to restoring law and order across the nation, which has been under siege from rising criminal activity.
Speaking to the media in Enugu on Sunday, NUF President, Mr. Augustine Chukwudum, highlighted the urgency of ramping up police recruitment to relieve the Nigerian military from domestic security duties. “The primary role of our soldiers is not internal policing,” Chukwudum stated, emphasizing that Nigerian police forces have been grossly underfunded for decades.
Chukwudum criticized the government for failing to release budgeted funds to the police on time, stating, “Even when funds are released, it’s often too late, with less than 50% of the budget actually being disbursed each year.” This financial mismanagement, he claims, has crippled police efficiency, leaving them ill-equipped to combat crime.
Read also: The NUF president also took a strong stance against the creation of state police forces, warning that such a move could lead to political repression. “State police will only empower governors to silence opposition through unwarranted arrests and killings,” he argued.
Instead, Chukwudum urged governors to utilize the billions allocated to them in monthly security votes—ranging from N500 million to N1 billion per state—to properly fund and equip local police forces. “Nigerians are tired of excuses. Governors can’t claim they’re not in control of the police while pocketing huge security votes,” he said.
NUF also called for the modernization of Nigeria’s police force, advocating for advanced training in intelligence gathering and the adoption of cutting-edge equipment similar to those used by police in developed nations. The forum urged the federal government and National Assembly to abolish security votes and enforce strict accountability for state governors’ spending on security.
