Ex-IGP, Ehindero, disagrees with police boss, Egbetokun, on state police

A former Inspector-General of Police, Sunday Ehindero, has differed with the current IGP, Kayode Egbetokun’s opinion that Nigeria is not mature enough for state police.

Ehindero, on Tuesday in a paper entitled: “It is time for state police in Nigeria,” averred that “The issue of creation of state police is a national issue of public interest surpassing sectoral interest.”

However, Egbetokun, who spoke on Monday at a national dialogue on state police organised by the Nigerian’s House of Representatives in Abuja, stated that “It is the submission of the leadership of the Nigeria police force that Nigeria is yet to mature for the establishment of state-controlled police.”

He warned that it was prone to abuse coupled with the fact that most states are bereft of the needed funds to finance it.

However, Ehindero who spoke about the merits and challenges associated with establishment of state police in his paper, said, the grounds for the opposition to state police by and large, have been taken care of.

“Now, to the reasons for and against state police. First, the need to control crimes. It has consistently been argued that policing is essentially a local affair and as most crimes are local, we need a local police force. We all know that most crimes are not local.

“Crimes such as terrorism, trafficking in drugs and human persons, money laundering, kidnappings, armed robbery, herdsmen/farmers’ clash are not local. They are national, international, and trans-border crimes.

“But our experience in the past was such that Local Government Police and Native Authority Police were used to subvert the democratic process.

“The state police was used and manipulated by politicians to intimidate, prosecute, and suppress perceived political opponents. How about the conduct and results of local government elections in the states where the party in power in the state wins all the elections.

“Moreover, police are too expensive to be left in the hands of the states. Apart from Lagos, Kano, Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Ogun and some few states, others are unable to pay salaries of workers.“What of the multiple costs associated with the maintenance of 36 police forces and the FCT, each force pursuing the same issues as recruitment, training and financing.

READ ALSO: Nigeria not yet ripe for state police – IGP

“But soon after, the Federal Government provided a template of the state police within the federal police structure. That was a game changer.

“This is remarkable. The overwhelming powers of the Federal Government to intervene in States matters have been curtailed.

“In effect, the grounds for the opposition to state police by and large, have been taken care of.

“The Federal Police has been retained to take care of national and trans border crimes amongst others.

“It is also expected that these amendments will be panacea to crimes of banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, and robberies provided police at federal and state levels are numerically improved, well equipped, trained, motivated, and allowed to perform their internal security duties.

“Be informed that the state police will bear firearms. With them being armed less will be required of the military. Too much military visibility in internal security matters is not good for our nascent democracy.”

The issue of state police again came back to national limelight following the spate in kidnapping, banditry, militancy and other forms of criminality across different parts of the country.

However, former President Goodluck Jonathan; Senate President, Godswill Akpabio; Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim Gaidam; Emeritus Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan; and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi among others have all endorsed the call for state police.

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