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What We Need for Effective Policing – IG
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, on Tuesday said apart from inadequate personnel, the Nigeria Police Force needed no fewer than 1,000 armoured personnel carriers and 250,000 assault rifles with corresponding ammunition.
Adamu, who disclosed this at a public hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Police Affairs, tagged, ‘Repositioning the Nigeria Police for an Enhanced Service Delivery, said the country needed 2,000,000 tear gas canisters and smoke grenades.
Other equipment the IG said the force required included 200,000 riot gunners and smoke pistols, 1,000 tracking devices, and 774 operational drones, among others.
He also lamented that poor remuneration scared best and suitable applicants away from the police.
As part of efforts to address problems confronting the NPF, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), last year gave the force the go-ahead to recruit 10,000 police officers.
Besides inadequate manpower, the police are also battling with other problems including dilapidated barracks, poor remuneration and low budgetary allocations.
The PUNCH had on August 23, 2019 reported that ten months after the President approved an increase in police salaries and allowances, policemen had yet to receive the pay rise. The President had in November 2018, approved an enhanced salary structure for the NPF.
At the House of Representatives event on Tuesday, the IG, who was represented by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Operations), Abdulmajid Ali, stated that aggregation of reports by the various police reform committees highlighted the major challenges hindering an optimal service delivery by the police.
In the document he presented to the committee, a copy of which our correspondent obtained, Ali said the challenges included gross underfunding, which he said was caused by inadequate budgetary appropriation and non-release of the limited appropriated funds.
He noted that the budgetary system still remained the envelope system, which he said was not capable of taking care of neither the needs nor wants of the force.
The envelope budgetary system involves the capping of funds at a particular amount notwithstanding the needs of an organisation.
The Punch
Former Vice President Namadi Sambo has dismissed reports that he has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
It was widely reported on Wednesday that Sambo has defected to the APC. The reports cited a photograph of the ex-VP with Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani.
However, Sambo refuted the reports on Thursday in a statement by his media adviser, Umar Sani.
Sani, in the statement, said the picture was not recent.
He further stated that the former Vice President remains a loyal and dedicated member of the PDP, with no intention whatsoever of leaving the party.
“My attention has been drawn to a widely circulated story alleging that His Excellency, Arc. Mohammed Namadi Sambo, GCON, former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). This claim is entirely false and without any basis.
“Following numerous calls and inquiries, I have taken the liberty on the authority of His Excellency’s family to issue this formal rebuttal. I categorically state that the story is a fabrication, laced with mischief and aimed at misleading the public.
“The photograph supporting this falsehood, showing His Excellency with the Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, is not recent. It was taken years ago during a condolence visit by the Governor to His Excellency’s residence in Abuja, following the demise of his brother, the late Sani Sambo. The image is now being deliberately misrepresented to fit a contrived narrative.
“Furthermore, His Excellency is scheduled to attend the commissioning of a 300-bed hospital in Kaduna on Thursday, 19th June 2025. This project, which he initiated during his time in office, stands as a testament to his enduring commitment to public service and the development of Kaduna State.
“His invitation to witness the completion of this legacy project, and possibly offer a few remarks, must not be misconstrued as a political endorsement or as confirmation of any partisan shift.
“For the avoidance of doubt, His Excellency, Arc. Mohammed Namadi Sambo remains a loyal and committed member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
“He has no intention of joining any other political party. The defection story is purely the figment of the imagination of its authors calculated to sow confusion and achieve cheap political mileage,” the statement read.
The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja on Thursday granted the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, bail in the sum of N50 million and one surety who must be a person of reasonable integrity resident in FCT Abuja and owns a landed property within the Abuja Municipal Area Council.
President Bola Tinubu has directed Nigeria’s military and intelligence leaders to identify and apprehend those responsible for the recent killings in Benue State, saying the continued violence must be met with a clear and coordinated response from security forces.
Addressing service chiefs, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and intelligence agency heads during a stakeholders meeting in Makurdi on Wednesday, Tinubu questioned the lack of arrests following the deadly attack on Yelwata community, which left dozens dead and displaced thousands.
“Police, I hope your men are on alert to listen to information. How come no arrest has been made? I expect there should be an arrest of those criminals,” Tinubu asked, urging security leaders to strengthen intelligence operations.
“Christopher (the chief of defence staff), you have given much. I watch your comments, you can’t be tired of staying in the bush. Oloyede and the Air Marshal, we thank all of you, but we need to keep our ears to the ground, let’s get those criminals, let’s get them out. DG NIA, DG SSS, retool your information channels and let’s have tangible intelligence so that this will not occur again.”
Tinubu’s comments came during a visit to Benue, where he met victims of the recent attack and later engaged political, religious, and traditional leaders in discussions on how to curb the prolonged violence between armed groups and rural communities.
Directing the National Intelligence Agency and the Department of State Services to review their operations, Tinubu said the government must “retool information channels” and act decisively.
The President’s visit comes amid heightened public pressure following the Yelwata killings, which have drawn criticism from political figures and religious leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, and Pope Leo XIV.
During the meeting, Tinubu also reaffirmed his call for peacebuilding efforts. He told Governor Hyacinth Alia to work closely with past governors and traditional rulers in the state, warning that a failure to foster unity could further destabilise the region.
“We are members of the same house, just sleeping in different rooms,” Tinubu said. “We need to turn this tragedy into an opportunity to rebuild trust and foster development. Human life is more valuable than anything else.”
“Whatever we need to do, I’m ready to invest in that peace,” he said.
Governor Alia, in response, appealed for constitutional support to establish state police forces and a special intervention fund for rebuilding affected communities. He acknowledged the limitations of community policing but said it remained necessary to address Benue’s ongoing security challenges.
Traditional leaders at the meeting took a more urgent tone. The Tor Tiv and chairman of the Benue State Traditional Council, James Ayatse, rejected framing the violence as a herder-farmer conflict, describing it instead as a “coordinated campaign of terror and land seizure.”
“This is not a clash,” he said. “It is a calculated, full-scale genocidal invasion that has gone on for decades and is getting worse every year. Mischaracterising the problem leads to misguided solutions.”
Ayatse urged Tinubu to recognise the situation for what it is and to address it accordingly.
As part of his visit, the President toured hospitals where victims are receiving treatment and encouraged citizens to donate blood.
