Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase yesterday said about N8.7 billion was needed to fight the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria.
Arase spoke yesterday during an interactive session with the House Committee on Police Affairs, led by Haliru Jika, in Abuja.
Giving a breakdown, Arase said N8.7 billion was required to checkmate the Boko Haram insurgency and N4 billion to rebuild the 56 destroyed police stations, formations and facilities.
The IGP, however, said an outstanding N57 billion due to the police was yet to be released.
“Fifty-six police stations, formations and facilities have been destroyed by insurgents.
“The present devastating situation has greatly impaired us as it constitutes a major challenge to the capacity of the police within the formations. We need about four billion to put those things back in shape.”
According to him, the destruction of the facilities had affected the communication process crucial in the fight against insurgency in the area.
Arase, while speaking on capacity-building for officers, said constables would go on training to enable them move to corporal.
He said“only the proposed 10,000 recruits will now spot the uniforms of constables in the police force”, he said.
Arase, however, lamented that the police were “highly de-motivated” in their efforts to fight insurgency.
“Our mobile personnel are fighting side by side with the military in the Northeast and that is never mentioned when people are talking about police contributions to the fight against insurgency.
“And because they are doing well, we intend to push in more men into those areas.”
Jika assured the IGP of the committee’s commitment to Section 4(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which confers on the National Assembly the authority to make laws for the peace, order and good governance of the federation as well as Section 14(2), which provides that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.
“We are committed to nation building through appropriate legislation, oversight and representation. Our relationship with the bodies under our supervision shall be a symbiotic one in our bid to address the challenges.
‘’The committee will synergise with the police in their determination to nip the security challenges in the bud.The committee will further address the perennial problem of police welfare and pension as well as such other militating factors to effective policing.
“As parliamentarians, our focus will be the provision of adequate legislative impetus for the actualisation of the policies of government.”
