Jonathan, who gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) in Minna said that there was a need for new thinking and methods to end the senseless killings across the nation.
He also called for proper funding of the police and provision of modern equipment to tackle all forms of internal security threats in the country.
The former NBA chairman attributed the continued attacks of innocent citizens to the “failure of intelligence gathering by security agencies” and called for synergy among the intelligence community to deal with the situation.
He stressed that the Federal Government must discharge its responsibilities of securing the lives of Nigerians in line with the provision of Section 14 (2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution.
The section laid out the primary purpose of government as ensuring security and welfare of the people.
According to him, the spate of killings in Benue, Taraba, Zamfara, Rivers, Plateau and Kaduna States bring to the fore the need to overhaul the nation’s security architecture for optimal performance.
He noted that a situation where the Armed Forces were dragged into internal security operations, means that the Police may not have the capacity to secure and guarantee the safety of lives of citizens.
“The Federal Government must rise above sentiment and overhaul the Nigerian Police to enable it effectively handle the recurring murders, Kidnappings and armed robberies in various parts of the country.”
Jonathan believed that a general overhaul of the police would allow the Armed forces concentrate on their core duty of defending the territorial integrity of Nigeria.
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