The Senate, Tuesday, called on the 36 State Houses of Assembly for collaboration on efforts to review the constitution to integrate state and community policing.
The move, according to the Senate, is to halt the escalating killing of Nigerians by herdsmen and spate of general insecurity in the country.
Speaking Monday in Abuja when speakers of 36 State Houses of Assembly, led by its chairman and Speaker of the Gombe State House of Assembly, Abdulmumin Ismaila Kamba, paid a thank-you visit to the leadership of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Senate President, said the synergy between state lawmakers and those at the federal level had become imperative in the amendment of the 1999 Constitution to provide for state and community policing in the country.
The speaker had visited the Senate to thank senators for passing the bill which granted financial autonomy to state legislatures.
Saraki, who noted that state and community policing in the country had become imperative due to rising security challenges, said: “You are all aware of the challenges we are currently facing in this country, particularly that of insecurity.
”There is no doubt that the security architecture of this country at present cannot meet the demands and challenges before it.
“One of the decisions we took today is to address the issue of state and community policing. In doing that, we gave our Constitution Amendment Committee two weeks to bring to the floor a Bill on State and Community Policing. The House of Representatives is also working along similar lines.
“We will send it to the States’ Assembly to seek your support. We believe that no responsible country or society can continue to watch helplessly as our people are being killed.
“We must appeal to our people that we must live in peace and harmony and we must be able to resolve our issues peacefully. As speakers, I urge you to play your part,” he stated.
Earlier in his remarks, Abdulmumin Kamba, the Chairman of the States’ Assembly Speakers Conference, had said they were at the National Assembly to show appreciation to the leadership of the Senate for passing the State Assembly Financial Autonomy bill which had been signed into law.
