Murder of 16 Officers, Soldiers: Central policing system, no longer fashionable - Odeli

University of Benin trained Strategist and Community Development Advocate, Mr. David Odeli, has described the killing of 16 Officers and Soldiers in Okuama, Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, as one of the most unfortunate incidents to have happened in the Niger Delta in recent times, saying the Central policing system is no longer fashionable globally and not in tune with the reality on ground in Nigeria as at today.

Odeli, who made the assertion in a statement released in Warri, Delta State, Thursday March 21, urged the Nigeria Army to go after the criminal elements responsible for the heinous act and try as much as possible to protect the innocent civilians in Okuama and neighbouring communities, believed to harbouring the suspects.

Whilst sympathizing with the families of the 16 Officers and Soldiers, the Nigeria Army as well as the Nigeria state, Odeli, noted: “It is high time we critically look into our security architecture and the federal arrangement, vis-à-vis the security responsibility of the Governors as it concern state police.

“The National Assembly should as matter of urgency, begin the amendment of the 1999 Constitution to allow various states to have their police institution/ colleges to train their own indigenous police, according to their environment, with good enumeration and modern technologies to police their state. The Central policing system is no longer fashionable globally and not in tune with the reality on ground in the various states in country presently, we most look at the security items in the Constitution and remove policing from exclusive list of the Constitution, to make the governors fully in-charge of security in their states.

“We need to critically assess the role of the Nigeria Army, under democratic dispensation because if you go around Nigeria, hardly you see a local government without military operational services, under a civil rule, it is not good.

“Look at the way the military are all over the place and the police are not seen carrying out civil responsibilities, the various states should go into mass employment of their state indigenes, to carry out policing of their states.”

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