The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, said President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has trained 25,000 Community Policing Officers in Police Colleges across the country.
Adesina stated on Monday in Abuja that the Buhari administration’s actions had impacted practically every area of the national landscape.
Newsclick Nigeria recalls that the Presidency had on Sunday in a 90-page special write-up, listed the achievements of the Buhari administration in the last eight years.
Adesina said the Community Policing Officers were to serve as liaisons between the police and their local communities and to assist in intelligence gathering.
He said the administration, in June 2019, signed into law, the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Bill, establishing the Nigeria Police Trust Fund.
Adesina said the idea was to mobilise financing and resources to equip the police and improve their welfare.
According to him, the president, in September, 2020, assented to the Nigeria Police Bill, 2020; the first fundamental reform of police enabling legislation since the colonial Police Act of 1943.
He said the administration approved the Presidential Roadmap on Police Reform, establishing the Police Reform & Transformation Office (PORTO), in the office of the Chief of Staff (COS) to the President, to coordinate police reforms.
“This Team has also developed a Presidential Roadmap on Police Reforms which captures the President’s vision for legitimate, accountable and community-involved policing in Nigeria.
“The Buhari Administration is rolling out the Police Specialized Services Automation Project (Po-SSAP) to block financial leakages and deepen fiscal accountability within the Force,” he said.
Adesina said the administration also granted Presidential approval for the commencement of the Community Policing Initiative nationwide and the release of take-off funding.
He said the Community Policing Initiative had also been enshrined into the Police Act, 2020.
The presidential spokesman man said the administration also approved the recruitment of 40,000 new police officers.
“The recruitment is ongoing in tranches of 10,000 recruits. So far, 20,000 new officers have been recruited, while the recruitment of the third batch of 10,000 is ongoing.
“Nigeria Police Force launched a new National Command and Control Center in Abuja in 2019,” he added.