The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has reiterated the commitment of the House – under his leadership – to support security agencies in the fight against terrorism and other crimes.
This, he said, as he declared the public hearing of the committee on Police Affairs open on Thursday, January 14, 2016. Dogara also described extrajudicial killings as “unethical”, and spoke on the urgent need to arrest the kidnapping trend in the country.
During the course of his address, he indicated that one of the main areas which the committee would focus on is the recruitment of police personnel and the improvement of police welfare, with an aim to improving the current policing statistics, and stated that the committee would establish guidelines for the implementation of the presidential directive for the recruitment of 10,000 police officers in a way that is fully compliant with provisions of the constitution.
The Speaker revealed that the high crime rate had influenced the legislative agenda of the 8th Assembly, and that in line with item 6(J) of the legislative initiative on security, the House will provide legislative backing to measures targeted at addressing national security challenges such as terrorism, insurgency and kidnapping, among others. He acknowledged receipt of several petitions on different crimes, which he said have been forwarded to the relevant house committees for further legislative action.
The Speaker emphasized the need for the recruitment of more police officers, and stressed that any recruitment exercise must be transparent and fully compliant with Federal Character. He ended his address with comments on the need for those present to contribute meaningfully to the discussion in order to enable the committee arrive at the best recommendations.
The House Committee on Police Affairs is headed by Hon. Haliru Dauda Jika.
Get more stuff like this
Subscribe to our mailing list and get interesting stuff and updates to your email inbox.