Honorable Makki Abubakar Yalleman, Chairman of the House Committee on Police Affairs, has blamed the rising insecurity in Nigeria on underfunding and neglect of the Nigeria Police Force.
Speaking during a special plenary session on national security on Tuesday, Yalleman who is also a member representing Mallam Madori/Kaugama Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives highlighted that the police are overstretched, under-equipped, and underpaid, making it difficult for them to protect citizens effectively.
“We are confronted by hydra-headed challenges across the entire spectrum of our national life. Kidnapping, terrorism, armed robbery, and other violent crimes have become prevalent in almost every operational theatre of our society.
“From the North-East to the North-West, the North-Central, the South-East, parts of the South-West, and the South-South, security incidents have almost become daily occurrences.
“I am fully aware of the challenges facing the Nigeria Police Force in carrying out its statutory duty of internal security. Nigeria ranks among the countries with the lowest police-to-citizen ratios in the world. The police are overstretched, underfunded, under-equipped, and underpaid. These gaps, along with institutional weaknesses, have made policing a country as large and complex as Nigeria extremely difficult.
“Recently, the Commissioner of Police in Zamfara called to say they urgently need vehicles. Even though we ourselves are short of vehicles, the Inspector-General cannot intervene because there are simply no funds,” he said.
“Their overhead allocations are insufficient. As of today, in November, they have only received funds up to July.”
Yalleman stressed the need for urgent government action to support the police, including recruitment of qualified personnel, renovation of training institutions, provision of modern equipment, and better welfare for officers.
“The situation is dire. We must put our heads together to provide more funding for the Nigeria Police Force. Everything we are discussing today revolves around internal security, and internal security is the core responsibility of the police,” he added.
He also acknowledged the efforts of the military in counterinsurgency operations but noted that the police remain the backbone of internal security.
Yalleman proposed inviting the Chief of Army Staff to brief the House on operational challenges across the country.