FUNAAB lays foundation for community police station
The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State has laid the foundation for the institution’s Adjoining Communities Police Station, to forestall the lingering cases of theft and burglary within the university campus.
The Acting Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Ololade Enikuomehin, was joined by the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ahmed Illyasu during the ceremony located at the Harmony Estate, near the university main gate.
Speaking at the ceremony, Prof. Enikuomehin stressed that the university was aware that the economic value of the community was based on the presence of the students.
“If they are not here, there would be nothing to talk about. Therefore, we should learn to balance it. While curbing the social vices, the students should be accommodated because of the positive side of their presence.”
The Acting Vice-Chancellor assured that the university would do as much as it was obligated to do, to ensure that the students were seen in positive light within the neighbourhood, noting that whenever serious issues arose with the students, it should be reported to university authorities.
“I would like to plead that if you have issues with them, rather than going to the extreme with the students, please, get across to us. We won’t indulge them. We have rules and regulations that are even guiding off-campus accommodation.
“We now have a policy that gives us the right to even challenge and penalise students that misbehave even here, because they are still our students.”
He reiterated the recent university policy covering the misdemeanor of students staying off-campus, saying that the fact that a student lives in town does not give him/her a leeway to misbehave.
Earlier, the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ahmed Illyasu, had stated that each time he heard of community policing, he was always delighted about it, saying that one could only succeed when working with people because people and communities around always know what was happening.
He added that, it was in the best interest of police officers to associate or partner with groups, so as to know what was happening in their environment.
“Today, we are celebrating a new phase in policing and what we have achieved, under my leadership, we would continue to partner with each and every citizen to push in one accord, what we call micro-policing. We are working even with hunters and we have been achieving much.”
Commenting on the relationship between police officers and FUNAAB students, Mr. IIlyasu stated that the police headquarters had been networking with the students, to foster mutual co-operation, adding that the headquarters would still continue to give support, even after the commissioning exercise.
While commending members of the university community, the Commissioner of Police said: “We were once, part of the academia and we believe in what they can do; hence, the reason why we are partnering with you. You are honest partners; people who are willing to serve the needs, yearning and aspirations of people.”
He also appreciated the university management for the understanding and for making security a top priority.
The Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Adeniyi Olayanju, further stated that the university senate had constituted a committee, to formulate relevant policy for off-campus students.
Prof. Olayanju however, sounded a note of warning that the police station does not belong to the residents of any particular community only, but to all the FUNAAB adjoining communities, adding that the building’s name, as a matter of fact, should be referred to as: ‘FUNAAB Adjoining Communities Police Station’.
The Dean stated further that “We aren’t securing students in Harmony Estate alone. There are students in other places around and that is why it’s called adjoining communities… Other communities around should have the feeling that the police station is for everyone.”
The Chairman of one of the FUNAAB Adjourning Communities, Harmony Community Development Association, Mr. Emmanuel Abu, stated that the foundation laying of a police station was a cumulative outcome of several and previous attempts, to address security issues around the area.
The Chairman, Police Community Relations’ Committee (PCRC), Obantoko Division, Honourable Taiwo Akinlabi in his remarks charged all to contribute their quota to effective policing in their various domains, by supporting the police in their areas, through the provision of useful information, capable of tracking criminals before the commission of crimes.