Reps probe status of 90, 000 slain policemen

• Want replacement, adequate funding

From Fred Itua and Kemi Yesufu, Abuja

MOVED by the Inspec­tor General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase’s recent disclosure that 90,000 men and officers of the Nigeria Police have died in the fight against insurgency over the years, the House of Rep­resentatives, yesterday, mandated its Committee on Police Affairs to launch an investigation into the claim with a view to ascertaining the true status and report back in eight weeks.

The resolutions followed a motion on matters of ur­gent public importance, by Ahmed Yerima where he called on the House to investigate Arase’s disclo­sure and find out the status of the 90,000 slain police officers as at November.

Yerima also asked the Committee on Public Af­fairs to ascertain shortfall of manpower in the police and make recommenda­tions to the House accord­ingly.

Yerima noted that Arase’s declaration was alarming and disturbing, considering the delicate security situation in the country.

He said: “The United Nations (UN) approxi­mates a median of about 300 police officers per 100,000 citizens globally. According to recent esti­mates from Interpol, Ni­geria has about 205 police officers for every 100,000 citizens, which is 95 police officers shy of the global median.”