At the end of the
highly successful security conference which held under the theme: Security -
Bedrock of Governance, aimed at fostering a partnership among Abia, Anambra,
Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States to enhance the fight against crimes and
criminality. The participants
which cut across various strata of society including the Inspector-General of
Police, the Director General of the Department of State Services, members of the National Assembly, traditional rulers,
religious leaders, market leaders, civil society groups as well as security
stakeholders from the six states and contiguous states resolved as follows:
1. That it is imperative to set up a Joint
Security Task Force among the South East and Delta States to curb prevailing
crimes within the area;
2. That appropriate deployment of security
and intelligence, logistics support will be required to drive the initiative;
3. That improved funding and equipping of
the Police, proper remuneration for officers and a practical reward system for
exemplary performance are necessary for efficient provision of policing
services.
4. That respective States should establish
strong and functional security at border areas across the various States;
5. That the judiciary in all the concerned
States should be encouraged for an enhanced/speedy administration of criminal
justice;
6. That electronic documentation of all
criminal suspects at Police divisions should commence as a way of enhancing the
criminal database;
7. That State Governments should increase
their spending on security to effectively augment efforts of the Federal
Government in this direction.
8. That in line with popular positions at
the recent National Security Conference organised by the Nigeria Police Force
in Abuja, community based policing should be encouraged with the active
involvement of traditional rulers and other non-state actors. The use of
vigilante outfits must however be regulated as a non - state actor with their
activities supervised by Divisional Police Officers.
9. That there is a need for timely
interventions by State actors and political leaders in the resolution of
communal disputes to avoid the occurrence of clashes arising there from.
10. That use of technology and surveillance
equipment by Government and private organisations should be encouraged
especially in public buildings and facilities as a way of aiding law prevention
processes.
11. The Conference also called for improved
moral standards among the citizenry as well as the resuscitation of societal
core values and good governance as a panacea to curbing crimes.
12. It equally called on the Federal Government
to find ways of stabilising the Nigeria Police Force by making the office of
the Inspector-General of Police tenure based. This is to ensure that a holder
of the office at any point in time has ample time to initiate and execute security
policies as against the present situation in which citizens have lost count of
the many IGPs.
13. The Conference ended successfully with
commitments by participating States to sustain discussions and cooperation on
all issues regarding security.
Signed:
ORGANISING COMMITTEE