The leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, has disclosed that the National Assembly is in the process of developing legal frameworks for the creation of state police.
He said that the establishment of the state police will serve as part of the measures to address insecurity in the country.
Bamidele made this known on Sunday in a statement in Abuja through his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs.
He also celebrated with Christians worldwide to mark Easter, asking leaders across the board to shun divisive agendas and narratives that could compound the country’s challenges.
Bamidele urged Nigerians at large “to consciously reflect on the virtues of Jesus Christ; learn from His consecration and live His life of purpose rooted in the pursuit of justice, love and redemption for humanity”.
“Despite the animosity he suffered and the opposition he faced, Jesus Christ consciously sought and secured freedom for the captives, peace for the troubled, comfort for the sorrowful, love for the dejected, justice for the oppressed and hope for those who are in despair.
“In Nigeria today, Christ’s example clearly presents us a glimpse of how we should live together.
“As compatriots and not competitors, collaborators and not combatants, comrades and not contenders in the task of building a viable and virile federation that will serve the interest of all.
“The recent killings in Benue and Plateau states outrightly negated the virtues of peace and love that Jesus Christ taught during His days.
“The recurrent utterances by some political and sectional figures also belied the values of courage, perseverance and tolerance he lived for.
“No country develops as a result of one section rising against another and vice versa.
“The authority of the National Assembly is in the process of developing legal frameworks for the establishment of state police as one of the measures to address insecurity in the country.
“We urge security agencies to work together as a team to track and apprehend all the masterminds and sponsors of terror attacks nationwide.
“We appeal to some political actors who always lash out at the country’s challenges to push divisive narratives to learn from the example of Jesus Christ.
“Such actors are no longer playing opposition politics, but simply taking advantage of the country’s internal conditions in the pursuit of their own parochial political outcomes”.
He further said that Nigeria is our ultimate project, and as a parliament, we are committed to the actualisation of this project.
“This is evident in all the legislative initiatives we are pushing since the birth of the 10th National Assembly. Our goal is to build a federation that will be noted for peace, progress, and prosperity anywhere in the world.
“Regardless of their ethnicity, politics, and religion, all actors should shun all forms of divisive utterance and join forces against the common foes of Nigeria and not subvert our effort to build a strong and virile federation.”
NAN reports that a State Police Bill was sponsored by a former deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu (PDP, Enugu).
The bill seeks to establish the Federal Police, State Police, National Police Service Commission, National Police Council and State Police Service Commission for the states.
It was first introduced to the eighth senate on June 12, 2018, but did not scale through.
Ekweremadu was the chairman of the constitution review committee at the time.
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
