About 650,000 police officers would be needed to adequately confront the security challenges facing Nigeria, a university lecturer, Prof. Kunle Ajayi, said in Ado Ekiti on Thursday.
Ajayi, a Professor of Political Science, Ekiti State University, (EKSU) gave the figure in a paper he delivered at the annual Michael Opeyemi Bamidele Lecture Series, held at Christ School, Ado-Ekiti.
The paper is entitled: “Legislating in a Troubled Times: National Assembly and the Challenges of Legislating for Good Governance in Nigeria”.
The don, who is also the Head the institution’s Department of Political Science, said that shortage of personnel had been the major constraints militating against effective policing in the country.
He said that Nigeria with an estimated population of 160 million people was policed by 370,000 policemen
“This unfortunately translates to mean one policeman to as many as 432 people,” he said.
“For effective policing, the nation needs at least 650,000 police personnel for a start,” he said.
Ajayi urged the three tiers of government to collaborate to stem the tide of insecurity in the country by providing jobs for unemployed youths.
He also urged government officials to address the issues of corruption and incompetence in public places.
