As a result of the electoral brouhaha in Adamawa State which saw the emergence of Hajia Aishatu Dahiru aka Binani, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate as winner by the State’s Resident Electoral Commissioner Hudu Ari; some prominent Nigerians are calling for a total overhaul of the Nigeria Police Force as well as the Department of State Services, whose roles were faulted in the provision iof security for the electoral commissioner on illegal duty.
Speaking on the issue, human rights activist and Constitutional lawyer, Mike Ozekhome who said men of the secret police have become politicized in the past few years, lamented the role of the DSS in aiding Mr Ari who usurped the powers of the Returning Officer, Mohammed Mele.
“There is a need to overhaul the DSS which is supposed to be our super secret agency. It has however become so politicized and so corrupted that it has become an agency for the highest bidder. What is its business with staying at election venues?” he asked.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria also spoke of the police this way: “The Nigeria Police? No need to comment on this institution. I may go vulgar,” he added.

Also speaking, a pro-democracy advocate and President, Women Arise, Joe Okei-Odumakin however has a slightly different perspective on the issue.

While she agreed that the two agencies need to be re-organised for maximum service delivery, Okei-Odumakin came short of saying that neither the police nor the DSS was to blame for Ari’s misconduct.
“Yes, the re-conceptualising of law enforcement in Nigeria is long overdue.

Yet, that is a distinct proposition from the Adamawa debacle. The policemen and DSS officials who protected Ari were doing their jobs. They were not to determine when to expose him to danger over his right or wrong conduct.

“They were not to interpret electoral laws. We should not be so overtaken by emotions that we confuse law enforcement with adjudication.

For a more important purpose than Adamawa, Nigeria at this time must have a State Police system and the DSS should be the federal police in the FBI fashion,” she said.

Buhari attends maritime security meeting in Ghana
President Muhammadu Buhari is attending the 3rd Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Gulf of Guinea Commission, convened by President Nana Akuffo-Ado in Accra, Ghana.

According to a statement titled: ‘Maritime Security, President Buhari to attend Gulf of Guinea Heads of State and Government in Ghana’ by his spokesperson, Femi Adesina, “Buhari will participate and deliver remarks at the high-level discussion on strategies for strengthening peace and security in the fight against maritime-related crimes in the region, for his sixth foreign trip in 2023″.

As the immediate past chair of the Assembly, Buhari had championed collective efforts by member states of the region, the Economic Community of Central African States, the Economic Community of West African States, the Gulf of Guinea Commission and their partners to address and prevent piracy.

In June, 2019, Nigeria’s 10th National Assembly passed the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences Act, 2019, which aims to prevent and suppress piracy, armed robbery and other unlawful acts against vessels.

Buhari will be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, the National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.), the Director General, National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Abubakar, among other government officials.