The Niger Delta Development and Monitoring Group (NIDDEMOG) has called for improved welfare, allowances and incentives for personnel of the Nigeria Police Force.
The group said better working conditions would strengthen the capacity of police personnel to tackle the country’s growing security challenges.
NIDDEMOG Executive Director, Chief Nengi James-Eriworio, OON, made the call in a statement issued on Thursday.
James-Eriworio also called for improved police funding and better living conditions for officers and men of the force.
He said the condition of police barracks in some parts of the country remained unacceptable, with several formations suffering prolonged neglect.
The NIDDEMOG chief said police personnel deserved decent accommodation and functional facilities to enable them perform their duties effectively.
He also supported calls for the police to exit the Contributory Pension Scheme and adopt a more suitable pension arrangement.
James-Eriworio, who serves on the oversight board of the Police Violence Crimes Response Unit, commended officers of the Bayelsa Command.
He particularly praised personnel involved in the rescue of a kidnap victim held for about 30 days in a remote coastal area of Southern Ijaw.
He said the successful operation demonstrated the difficult security challenges posed by criminal activities in the creeks and mangrove forests.
James-Eriworio said the development strengthened his advocacy for the establishment of mangrove swamp forest guards to complement existing security agencies.
He alleged that some criminals had established camps and hideouts in deep mangrove forests to perpetrate kidnapping, sea piracy and pipeline vandalism.
“Some criminally minded people are building homes and camps and using them as criminal hideouts in the deep mangrove forests,” he said.
He said the situation required a coordinated security framework, particularly in areas where conventional policing was hampered by difficult riverine terrain.
James-Eriworio urged the National Security Adviser and other security agencies to intensify surveillance and intelligence gathering across Niger Delta creeks and mangrove forests.
He said sustained investment in personnel, equipment, welfare and specialised policing structures was necessary to secure the region’s difficult terrain.