Police are protectors, not enemies – Zamfara community

The people of Kaura Namoda Local Government Area in Zamfara State have expressed renewed support for the police, urging the community to have faith in the force and recognise that the police are there to protect them, not to harm them.

Residents made these remarks during a Dialogue and Peacebuilding Meeting between the police and community members, held at the Kaura Namoda Local Government Secretariat.

The peacebuilding meeting was organised by a Civil Society Organisation, Voluntary Aid Initiative (VAI), under the project Nigerian Police Force Reform Initiative III, with technical support from the NGO, International Alert Nigeria.

In their separate speeches, the Kaura Namoda Local Government Chairman — represented by the Director of Personnel Management (DPM), Alhaji Namadi Kaura — the District Head of Kaura, Durumbu Alhaji Nasiru Ahmed Aisha, and the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) Chairman, Babangida Samaila Kaura, all encouraged the community to continue supporting the police and to maintain trust in them.

“Our relationship with the police is now cordial. Recent dialogue meetings have brought us closer. We even organised a football match between community members and security agencies in the area, which helped to strengthen our relationship.

“We now have confidence in the police. They are our friends. Unlike before, the relationship has improved significantly,” they said.

During the meeting, various stakeholders — including traditional rulers, community leaders, religious leaders, and civil society organisations — commended the efforts of VAI for organising the event. They noted that the interactive session would help in addressing key security challenges in the area.

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The facilitator of the session, Dr Ahmad Hashim, emphasised that strong police-community relations are essential for mutual understanding and sustainable peace in society.

In his remarks, the Executive Director of VAI, Musa Umar Aboki, described the meeting as an important platform for raising awareness about police-community relations and promoting peacebuilding in the area.

“I believe this meeting will further strengthen peacebuilding efforts between the police and the community in Kaura Namoda,” he stated.