The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has said the creation of state police is a strategic measure to address the prevailing security challenges in the country.
A statement signed by its chieftain, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro yesterday said state police would create jobs for unemployed youths, thereby addressing the massive unemployment crisis in the country.
He commended the federal Government and state governments for taking “a courageous step in the right direction”.
Mazi Isiqusoro expressed the belief that their decision reflected a realisation that security remains a local matter and community policing is an indispensable ingredient needed to combat insecurity, especially in the South East region.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo acknowledges that the implementation of the state police aligns with one of the key recommendations of the 2014 Constitutional conference report which the previous administration under Buhari failed to act upon due to apprehensions.
“We commend President Tinubu for indirectly steering the implementation of this vital recommendation. This momentous decision brings an end to the era of fear concerning the deployment of Igbo and Christian personnel to Boko Haram-controlled areas. In the past, Igbo youths perceived police recruitment exercises as potential death sentences, fearing they would be posted to Northern regions grappling with Boko Haram terrorists and banditry.
However, with the introduction of state police and community policing, a new ray of hope emerges.
“The creation of state police and the embrace of community policing presents remarkable avenues for job creation, specifically addressing the massive youth unemployment crisis. The deployment of personnel within their respective localities ensures that every employed individual serves their community with unwavering dedication. Consequently, with the president’s recent pronouncement on increased police recruitment, Igbo youths will wholeheartedly seize this opportunity, unburdened by the fear of deployment to the North.”
