By Ubong Ukpong, Abuja

The House of Representatives yesterday, summoned the Accountant General of the Federation (AGoF), Ahmed Idris, and the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, over the non-implementation of the 20 per cent upward review of salaries of police personnel as approved by the Federal Government.

Also summoned over the matter were the Chairman of the National Salaries Income and Wages Commission, Mr Ekpo Nta and the Director General of the Budget Office, Ben Akabueze.

Chairman of the House Committee on Police Affairs, Usman Bello-Kumo, directed the clerk to write the agencies to appear before the committee on the issue during a public hearing on three bills aimed to enhance the operations of the Nigeria Police.

They are a bill for an Act to amend the Nigeria Police Act 2020 to regulate the powers of the police to promote effective collaboration between police and other security agencies and to provide for the operational framework for community policing in Nigeria; A Bill for an Act to amend the Firearms Act Cap F28, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 to increase fines, provide for strict prison terms and licensing fees; and a Bill for an Act to provide for the establishment of the Nigeria Police Intelligence Institute, Share in Kwara State.

Bello-Kumo said there was a need to meet with the agencies and find why the directive of upward review of police remuneration has still not been implemented and seek ways of addressing the issue.

He said the Government should do more in funding security agencies.

Bello-Kumo stressed the need to exclude the police envelope budget system as well as address the pension issues bedevilling the security outfit.

He said this was necessary to have a Police Force that is motivated to carry out its constitutional duties, especially in the wake of numerous security challenges facing the country and also in view of the fact that the country is headed for an election year.

The Committee Chairman also attributed the security challenges in the country to lack of synergy among security agencies.

 “It is so pathetic that today in the country hoodlums and criminals are truly about to take over the entire security architecture of this country. It is not news and it is not something that is not in the public domain. The attack on the airport, the attack on our rail. All these are attributed to lack of synergy and intelligence sharing by security agencies,” he said.

He called on all relevant stakeholders to be committed to addressing the problem which threatens the existence of the country.

The Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba Alkali, in his presentation said the current initiative by the National Assembly to amend the Police Act 2020, the Firearms Act as well as the Bill to enact the establishment of the Nigeria Police Intelligence Institute would deepen police reform and reposition the police for optimal operational output.

He however regretted that since the inception of the Force, it has never had a training institution with the requisite legal status that can drive the capacity development process of the Force at both the operational and strategic levels.

Represented by Deputy Inspector General of Police, Sanusi Lemu, he said, “Policing all over the world is an intelligence driven enterprise. Unfortunately although Nigeria Police is recognized as the lead agency in internal security, we are yet to nearly after 180 years of existence have a training institution with the requisite legal status that can drive the capacity development process of the Force at both the operational and strategic levels.

“This is gap is even more impactful considering the current security realities in the country. This informed the establishment of the Police Intelligence Institute, Share. Unfortunately, despite the existence of the physical structures, the institution is yet to commence academic activities due largely to the absence of the requisite legal framework.

“The Bill for an Act to establish the Nigeria Police Intelligence Institute is therefore critical to the takeoff of this initiative as it would give legal backing to the reform agenda of the Police particularly in relation to the entrenchment of the professional culture of intelligence led policing and the development of the capacity of the officers of the Force and other sister agencies.

“The Bill also when enacted would professionalize the activities of the institution and give legal recognition to the programmes and certificates of the institute. In essence it should be seen as a further step to the current attempt to reform and re-position the police,” the IGP said.

The Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the bills were aimed empowering and strengthening the police for addressing lingering security challenges and other social vices currently bedeviling our nation.

The Speaker, who was represented by the Deputy Leader, Peter Akpatason, said the House would do everything within its ambit to pass legislation that would address the security challenges in the country for the benefit of all Nigerians.