There have been clamours for creation of states police since Nigeria returned to Democratic rule in 1999, the agitation which comes majorly from regional leaders, politicians and political office holders like state governors largely base their arguments on the fact that state governors’ control of the current unitary police system is limited.
Proponents of states police are of the opinion that a sitting governor should not need any approval or have to go through the Inspector General of police in Abuja before he can issue directives to state Commissioners of police to deploy officers and men of the police, as the chief executive of the state pleases, even though the 1999 constitution made governors the chief security officers of their states. It is however glaring that the only qualms that governors and politicians from the ruling party has with the prevailing structure of the police is mainly that of control and not performance.
There’s no argument whatsoever to the fact that our policing system as currently structured is highly defective and inefficient, but creating states police is to place the responsibility of security of lives and properties directly in the hands of state governors who hasn’t displayed an iota of transparency and accountability in the way and manner they appropriate the security votes they received monthly from the federal government.
If the manner in which governors have virtually “killed” the states legislature, judiciary and the local governments which are supposed to be the third tier of Government and the closest to the masses are anything to go by, placing the important role of policing their states in their hands will surely do more harm than good and turn them into dictators.
It is funny that governors who are struggling to pay workers’ salaries and pension allowances of retires are clamoring for a creation of states police that they obviously won’t be able to fund and equip properly.
What Nigeria needs especially now that the growing insecurity is almost overwhelming is to reform the Nigeria police into a more community based policing system. The world has since moved away from a system where citizens have to visit police stations before they can lodge complains or report crimes and threats to their lives and properties. The current situation where statements are obtained manually and the masses are required to pay for biros, sheets of papers and rulers is to say the least shameful. A community based policing where the police resides amidst the people, as opposed to the prevailing barracks residence will be more effective. There’s a need for the police to as a matter of urgency upgrade and modernize by embracing technology and computerize its operations for effective policing and service delivery.
The fact that the population of officers and men of the Nigerian police is grossly inadequate is glaring. We cannot expect a police that is less than five hundred thousand in population to effectively police a country of over two hundred million people.
Hence, there is a need for a massive employment of more able bodied men and women into the police. Training and re-training, welfare and life insurance for officers and men of the police should be given the needed priority.
The physical structures of the police like the stations, barracks and offices should be adequately upgraded, rehabilitated or reconstructed nationwide. Police patrol vehicles fitted with modern gargets should be massively procured so that major streets can feel police presence at least every one hour.
Instead of handing over the police to state governors who wants that responsibility merely to be able to terrorize the opposition political parties, political enemies and perceived enemies, the federal government should invest heavily to reforming the existing unitary police. The national assembly which is currently looking into the modalities of creating states police should be adequately guided.
– Hussain Asuku Obaro writes from Lokoja, Kogi State.
08157719456, oseniobaro@yahoo.com.
