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The timely warning by Hon. James Abiodun Faleke on the danger inherent in the move by the Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello on the training of “hooligans” in the training in the name of fighting crimes, as published in some national newspapers and on social media recently should draw the attention of not only Kogites, but all peace loving and well wishers of the state.
My unflinching support for Faleke fort raising the alarm is hinged on two sayings that “A stitch in time saves nine.” Or as the Yoruba would say: Bi ase npa ina kan, ni ina miran tun nwu jade” meaning ‘Why is it that it is when process of putting off a fire is meeting with success that another fire springs up?”
The Boko Haram insurgency was aided partly with the indiscriminate arming of people with fire arms by politicians in Borno state. This culminated in wanton killing of thousands of innocent lives and destruction of properties in Northeastern part of Nigeria.
Why should the arming of vigilantes in Kogi State come at a time when the country is just getting over the security challenges posed, over the years, by the Boko Haram insurgents?
Another Yoruba saying that readily came to my mind: “Ti ara ile eni ba fe je kokoro buburu, oye ki atete so fun, nitori kini? Nitoripe ti wahala re ba bere l’oru, kurukere re koni jeki a sun l’oru” meaning in English translation, “If a neighbor is planning to eat a deadly insect, it is better such person is warned to desist from that act, why? Because when the trouble of eating the deadly insect starts in the middle of the night, no one will be able to sleep in the house.”
It is therefore hoped that well meaning Kogites and lovers of Kogi State will prevail on the state governor to jettison the method of arming vigilantes in checking the security challenges in the state. Without mincing words, arming of state citizens outside the constitutionally recognized law enforcement agents such as the Armed Forces, the Nigeria police Force (NPF) the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), the Department of State Security (DSS) might create more problems for the entire society. I am tempted to reproduce excepts of a piece I wrote some few years back entitled “State Police Will Be Disastrous for multi-ethnic Nigeria”.
“If there is any quixotic issue that has generated an unending controversy and debate in Nigeria since independence, there is none other than the continued agitation for state police. There is no doubt that proponents and opponents have both come up with brilliant reasons in pitching their tent either for or against this age-long agitation.
The 1999 Constitution gives room only for existence of federal police which by extension constitutionally empowers the Federal Government to have the only and final say with absolute control as far as policing of the country is concerned.
Those clamouring for state police strongly believe that the life and properties of citizens would be better secured and managed by state police. There is no doubt that there is need for cognizance to be taken of the dire effect of familiarity with the people at the grass roots vis-à-vis their historical background, tradition and culture on effective policing of the people in a state coupled with a view to securing the life and properties of the people.
On the other hand, those rooting for retention of federal police will be quick to say that it is suicidal for Nigeria to introduce state police considering the volatility associated with the use of religion as a means of achieving selfish and parochial interests by power-hungry politicians in our country, coupled with the crude and uncivilized winner-takes-all syndrome. They may cite Kogi State as an example, where one senatorial district has been lording it over the other two senatorial districts in the state since its creation in 1991. This unfortunate situation has continued to increase the tempo of cry over glaring marginalization and open lopsidedness in political appointments and imbalance in distribution of posts in state’s civil service.”
There is no doubt that the setting of armed vigilantes in a state is akin to setting up of a state is akin to setting up of a state police which our democracy cannot for now be allowed until such a time when there will be sanity in our manner of politicking in our country. The Kogi State Government should be in effectively checking is to borrow a leaf from the Lagos State Government where Lagos Neighbourhood Service Corps (NLSC) has been introduced to complement the efforts of the Nigeria Police in the fight against crime in the state and where members of the group are not armed by the state government.
– Odunayo Joseph wrote from Mopa, Kogi State
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