He said he’s worried about the consequences if an armed officer is not regularly getting paid. President Muhammadu Buhari has dismissed calls for the establishment of state policing, arguing that it’s going to put more financial strain on state governments who would have to pay them.While speaking during an interview with Voice of America, Hausa service, in Washington, United States on Tuesday, May 1, 2018, the president said he’s worried about the consequences if an armed officer is not regularly getting paid.He said, “We must carefully look at the position of the nation’s constitution on the issue of state police before we take final decision on the matter if the constitution allows state police so be it.”But don’t forget that many times the Federal Government gave out what we referred to as bail out to state governments for payment of workers’ salaries. How many states can pay salary promptly? And you want to add more financial burden to the states.”It is not proper to employ a person, train him on how to handle weapons and then refuse to pay him – you can imagine what would happen in such situation.”The president also revealed that he has approved the recruitment of 6,000 additional police officers in an attempt to address troubling security challenges across the country.He noted that the recruitment exercise is all-inclusive with a directive to recruit from all the 776 local government areas of the federation.He said, “We will put in place more measures to check insecurity in the country including increasing the number of policemen and train them.”I have approved the recruitment of 6,000 policemen by the police authorities and I directed that those recruited must come from all the 776 local government areas of the federation.”Even if it means recruiting one person each from the 776 they should do that instead of going to motor parks, railway stations or market for the recruitment exercise. I gave (Police authorities) them this directive.”President Buhari met with United States president, Donald Trump, at the White House on Monday, April 30, 2018, and security was one of the most pressing concerns discussed by both leaders.They spoke at length about the insurgency of terrorist group, Boko Haram, and the ongoing herders/farmers crisis that has led to the death of hundreds in 2018.
