Why state police may not materialise now

…State governors’ excesses must be checked – Cleric

…Trust is no longer sacred in Nigeria, Communication expert says

The call for state police has continued in Nigeria following the security challenges bedeviling the country. Although the Federal Government seems to have favoured the arrangement as the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s body language shows a man that is supportive of state police, indications are that such an arrangement might not work out, at least, not in this first tenure.

It was gathered that part of the reasons it is not saleable now is the level of political brigandage which is feared may worsen with state police. At the moment many Nigerians feared it could be misused by political actors.

The fear also emanated from the fact that many states are not paying the Minimum Wage, and the question of how they would carry the weight of funding effective police has also become pertinent. The fear is that they could also turn it into an instrument of oppression against political foes.

Following the increasing rate of insecurity across the country – especially with the number of ungoverned places, President Tinubu had pushed the agenda of state police as a suitable solution to curb the menace of insecurity.

“I am reviewing all the aspects of security; I have to create state police. We are looking at that holistically,” Tinubu said while hosting a delegation of Katsina indigenes led by the governor, Dikko Radda, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja during a recent courtesy visit.

Tinubu recalled that in February 2024, the federal government inaugurated a committee to develop a framework for state policing.

The initiative has received wide support, although as of March, 20 states had yet to submit their reports, according to Vice-President Kashim Shettima.

Just last week, he convened a high-level strategic meeting with the council of state and police council, which underscores the President’s commitment to addressing pressing national issues and ensuring the safety and security of citizens.

Two weeks before the president’s strategic meeting with the Council of State and Police Council, the House of Representatives held a public hearing on the creation of state police, aligning the proposal with public interest that has generated discourse amid rising insecurity across the country.

Read also: State Police inevitable, Tinubu declares

Over the years, former and current Nigerian leaders, security experts and civil society groups, have argued that decentralising policing would enhance community safety and response to local security threats.

But the political will to push through a constitutional amendment for a decentralized police system have been hampered by the state governors, many of whom states are suffering from the menace of insecurity being carried out by non-state actors.

For instance, earlier this year, President Tinubu called for proposal on the modalities of state police – only about 12 states responded to the call by drafting their own proposals for a decentralised police system.

“It can work if the governors want it to work. If LASTMA, Trace and Operation So Safe can work and serve the purpose of their creations, why won’t the State Police work?

“In making it effective, the community should be carried along which will entrench the creation of community post and community policing,” said Badru Saleh, a Lagos-based public commentator and doctoral student.

According to him, the governors hold the key to making ‘state police’ implementable. Saleh added that the officers that will be recruited into the scheme are Nigerians, who at one point or the other have also complained about the state of insecurity in the country.

Tope Ilesanmi, a Lagos-based cleric, told BusinessDay that many Nigerians are opposed to the creation of state police because of the excesses of the state governors, who they fear might personalise the scheme if created.

Read also: Governors can’t be trusted with state police – APC rep

He however, added that the positives of state police far outweigh the fear being expressed in many quarters. “But then, the damage that they will cause will not be as much as the good.”

Ilesanmi also added that Nigeria is currently under-policed, hence, the call for the government to do more in strengthening the current system to cater to the security needs of Nigerians. According to him, the United Nations (UN) benchmark for policing is one police to 450 people.

“200m divide by 450 = 444k. In other words, Nigeria Police Force ought to have staff strength of 444,000. I am not sure we have up to 100, 000,” said Ilesanmi, indicating that the Federal Government is not even recruiting as many as they should.

Chukwudinma Okoji, communication expert, told BusinessDay that the lingering insecurity across the six geo-political zone of the country makes state police a matter of concern.

According to him, checkmating the excesses of state actors would be essential in making state policing effective.

“A political office holder parades his or herself with several security personnel when attending functions leaving every citizen vulnerable simply because of the privilege given to serve the masses and further turns it to his/her own selfish interest wearing the garment of dictatorship. We must not forget that he who pays the piper dictates the tune. “

Okoji said that decentralising the policing system is never a bad idea if properly implemented. According to him, trust is no longer sacred in the country; the helm of affairs must first serve a corrupt free nation before the states can be seen as a well sanitised entity to welcome such initiative. “The state policing is never a bad idea, but the truth is the nation is not ripe for such developmental issues.”

A highly-placed government official recently expressed doubt over the possibility of having the state police in Nigeria in the Tinubu administration.

According to the official, “What you are calling for is a state of anarchy where state governors would be intimidating whoever they want to without allowing the rule of law take its proper place. It would mean that all those who perceived to be political foes of the governors in their states would not allow to visit their states by the state governors.”

He pointed to some instances in the states where there are always clashes between the supporters of the state governors and those of other politicians from the state residing in Abuja.

“If for instance, today, such governors are in control of the police, the possibility is that there would always be blood shed with little or no provocation,” he said.