Paschal Emeka, Abuja

A former Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Barr. Lawrence Alobi has called on the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency equip the police and other security agencies properly in order to ensure a peaceful 2023 general elections.

This is against the backdrop of fear and apprehension in some quarters that the forthcoming 2023 general elections may be marred by violence following spate of insecurity across the country.

Speaking to our correspondent in Abuja, Barr. Alobi said that the police are in election monitoring and security hence the need to empower them to perform optimally before, during and after the elections.

“The Federal Government should be prepared to fund the police, ensure adequate training, and boost their manpower and technology to excel in their duties

“Politicians should stop hiring thugs to steal votes and cause mayhem during elections. Politicians should know that the era of using thugs to cause insecurity during elections is over; it can no longer be tolerated by Nigerians. The Federal Government should be proactive and ensure we have peaceful elections in 2023.

On the inter-agency rivalry amongst security agencies, the former Commissioner of Police decried what he described as lack of policing framework in the country. He advocated a policing framework that would guide all security agencies in the country.

“Police is the lead agency in matters of internal security. The problem is that Nigeria doesn’t have a policing framework that would guide all the security agencies involved in internal security. Everybody is just trying to outdo each other, so as please Mr. President,” he said.