The Senate, on Tuesday, mulled the establishment of the Special Forces in the Nigerian Police and the Nigeria Police Special Forces Training School.
The bill titled ‘A Bill for the Establishment of the Nigerian Police Special Forces and the Nigeria Police Special Forces Training School, 2022’ was presented by Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) during the plenary session. According to the sponsor, the bill was read for the first time in the red Chamber on Wednesday, 10th November 2021.
Leading the debate on the general principles of the bill, Senator Ndume, who chairs the Senate Committee on Army, noted that the bill sought to combat the menace of terrorism, insurgency, banditry, and other heinous crimes, as well as investigate all terrorist-related crimes. When established, the lawmaker also said that the force would collaborate with other sister agencies within Nigeria and relevant international agencies on terrorism while engaging in information and intelligence-gathering activities.
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“Provide advanced training in anti-terrorism, drills, counter-insurgency, espionage and disorder management for serving Police Officers and other Security Agents from in and outside Nigeria; and
Provide regular courses and for training that qualifies regular Nigeria Police Personnel to serve in the Police Mobile Force Units.
The enactment of this Bill will go a long way to help in training manpower that can effectively combat the menace caused by these outlawed groups,” the lawmaker stated, just as he urged his colleagues to support the expeditious passage of this bill.
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In his contribution to the debate, the Senate Minority Whip, Chukwuka Utazi (PDP, Enugu North), opposed the bill, stating that “it doesn’t connect.” According to him, there are police institutions already in the country and other agencies that were stated as the objectives of the proposed bill.
“I don’t see any reason why we will be bringing up this bill which is already taken of,” he argued.
On his part, Senator Smart Adeyemi (APC, Kogi West) stressed that no amount of money or institutions could be said to be enough in tackling the problems confronting our nation.
“We are passing through serious security challenges, and all over the world, there are innovations and improvements in facilities and institutions of learning. We must move with the trend of development globally.
The Nigerian Police deserve all the support that is needed. Not just in the area of establishing more institutions for them to be able to compete with other police forces across the globe but indeed even in their pay package,” Senator Adeyemi noted. He added that effective policing are largely a possibility when there are specialised institutions and adequate training for the Police officers.
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Also speaking in favour of the bill, Senator Hezekiah Dimka (APC, Plateau Central) pointed out the need to tackle the security challenges in the country, adding that there was need to pay great attention to the specialisation of the police.
Deputy President of the Senate Ovie Omo-Agege (APC, Delta Central), referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Police Affairs after it scaled second reading.
Ojochenemi Onje-James
Ojochenemi Onje-James is a research writer and journalist with years of proven footprints in areas of crime and politics. She has a M.Sc in International Relations and Strategic Studies as well as a B.Sc in Mass Communication.
