Lawan seeks support for community policing

The president of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, on Sunday in Abuja called on Nigerians to give community policing adequate support.

Mr Lawan made the call at the finals of a Community Policing Awareness Polo Tournament.

He expressed the hope that with community policing, the security situation in the country would be further enhanced.

The senate president urged communities to cooperate and partner with the police, adding, “the police is your friend.”

He said if a police officer contravened a law it would not be enough for the entire Police Force to be condemned.

“We are supposed to build and support our institutions. We are supposed to promote and protect them,’’ he said.

Mr Lawan said he was particularly happy that the police were going through a reformation, adding that the force was faced with a lot of challenges.

“The Ninth National Assembly passed the Police 2020 Amendment Act and the president did not waste any time as he signed it into law,’’ he said.

The senate president assured Nigerians that the police mean well for the citizenry but noted that the former worked under very difficult conditions and were under-staffed.

He thanked the organisers of the tournament, adding that it was an initiative worth supporting.

“Today, the police team are the winners and will remain winners today, tomorrow, next tomorrow and forever,” he said.

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The senate president was presented with two horses, one by the Nigerian Army Polo Association (NAPA) and the other by the Guards Polo Club.

In the finals played on Sunday, Halliru Jika-led Team Police defeated Mustapha Junaidu-led Team Community to lift the Community Policing Cup.

In the other match played earlier, AA & R Investment whipped Malcomines of Jos seven goals to three goals to emerge winners of the Vandrezzer Cup.

There have been persistent calls for community policing in the country in addition to the Nigeria Police Force.

While the Nigerian government at the national level has not keyed into it, some governors, especially in the southwest region of the country have now set up a regional security network code named ‘Amotekun’ to help beef up security in the region.