IGP Kayode Egbetokun, argued that the establishment of state police will widen ethnic tension in the country and promote divided loyalty in the states.
By Emma Ogbuehi
In clear departure from popular opinion by many segments of the citizenry, the Nigeria Police Force has opposed the establishment of state police, saying the country was not ripe for such.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, who made the remark at a one day dialogue on state policing, argued that the establishment of state police will widen ethnic tension in the country and promote divided loyalty in the states.
Represented by Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Ben Okolo, the Inspector General of Police said the establishment of state police will also lead to multiple command structures in the states.
He also said that state governors are likely to abuse the privilege of state police by using it for political gains, leading to possible abuse of power and abuse of human rights.
He argued that the state government lack the funding to sustain the type of policing that the nation requires.
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Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had in February, added their voice to the clamour for state police as a viable option for tackling the security challenges confronting the country.
The governors maintained that the present police structure must be decentralised to give way to the establishment of state police across the country
They made the call during their visit to Jos, Plateau State capital to commiserate with their colleague, Governor Caleb Mutfwang over the attacks and killings by gunmen in the state which had reportedly claimed over 200 lives, with properties worth millions of naira destroyed in various communities of the state.
The Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Muhammed, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, explained the reasons for the demand.
He said; “We are not just indicting unreasonably the Nigerian police or the security agents as they are doing their best, but certainly, the ratio between citizens to policing is very low and the states know the peculiarities of their states and local governments and their towns and villages and even the crisis of community crisis and others.
“So, we have always been advocating. There is no dissent between the governors and the National level but we need to get some decentralisation of the security apparatus so that we can enhance good governance by having good state police.”
State police, he said, would give the governors the opportunity to engage the structure, allow the security agencies to train the youths, ensure that the rules of engagement are not abused and complement the efforts of the conventional security agencies.
Apart from PDP governors, ethnic organisations like Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Middle Belt Forum (MBF) and the Northern Governors Forum (NGF), have also made calls for state police.
In 2022, NGF, which comprised governors of the 19 Northern states, had in recommending ways to contain the rising spate of insecurity in the country, called for the immediate establishment of State Police. The action, they said, was the only way to tackle the security challenges affecting the region and the country at large, listing such threats as banditry, insurgency, kidnapping and other forms of criminalities.