A rights group, the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, RULAAC has leaned its weight behind the renewed discussions around the need for the creation of State Police across states of Nigeria.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, while briefing journalists after a meeting between President Tinubu and State Governors in Abuja on Thursday, March 15, 2024, revealed that the State Police was discussed in their meeting.
He was quoted as saying ‘’The Federal Government and the state governments are mulling the possibility of setting up state police,” although he pointed out that the process is still in its infancy and would only take shape after more deliberations between stakeholders.
The revelation had once again, thrown up the demands for the establishment of state police, as there is no doubt that the Nigeria police force is over-centralized, under-resourced, and ill-equipped, and suffers from political interference.
The obvious inability of the federal government which, constitutionally, has responsibility for the police, to adequately fund the police, also lends credence to the genuineness of such demands.
Speaking on the development, the Executive Director of the RULAAC, Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma said ideally, and if Nigeria is truly operating a federal system and the states are the federating units, the states also ought to have their state police to enforce state laws.
He, however, noted the concerns of some Nigerians about the dangers of allowing State Governors, most of whom operate like emperors, to set up State Police in their states.
“The fears are very well founded, though. When we consider what Ebubeagu, the alternative security outfit set up by the governors of Imo State and Ebonyi State in the Southeast, has been turned into by those governors, or what similar state-established and state-controlled security outfits have been used for in some states in the North, those who oppose state police would be justified,” he noted.
But Nwanguma emphasized that whereas the fears of those who oppose state police are founded and they are justified in their opposition to state police, the odds favor the arguments in support of State police.
He believes that policing is local and that the most single serious obstacle to police effectiveness is the over-centralization rather than ‘localization’ or decentralization of the police while calling for the establishment of modalities to address the genuine concerns expressed by those who oppose it before it can be established in any state.
According to him, “Historically, policing in Nigeria started as a local initiative and joint community action devoid of the coercion that characterizes modern policing.
“Pre-colonial policing methods were rooted in the community.
“Customs and beliefs were enforced by such structures as age grades, secret societies, and vocational guilds like hunters, farmers, or blacksmiths.
“It is important to note that age grades (kinship organizations whose membership is based on a predetermined age range) still exist in many local communities. Law and order were maintained largely without the use of force.
“There is, therefore, the need to localize policing or decentralize policing authority and resources to enhance effectiveness and efficiency. Decentralization can take different forms.
“State police is one form.
“The other is to devolve policing authority and resources to the lower levels of the police from the Force Headquarters, through the Zonal Commands, to the State Commands, to the Area and Divisional Commands.
“This way, the commanders at those levels would have reasonable autonomy to take initiatives and make decisions without having to refer to the Inspector General of Police at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
“Ultimately, the answer to police ineffectiveness, lack of professionalization and deficit in community trust and partnership would be community policing which, by its defining characteristics, is also democratic policing.”
The rights activist who pointed out that regional police forces reflected the federalism of Nigeria, noted that the resort to regional security networks such as Amotekun in the South-West, and similar other regional and state security outfits also reflects, not just loss of confidence in the ability of the Nigeria police, as presently structured, to secure Nigeria.
On ways to ensure that state police do not suffer abuse, Nwanguma aligned himself with the 2012 report of the Civil Society Panel on Police Reform, which recommended that the government should establish a committee to work out the modalities for the establishment of State police in states desirous of maintaining state police, to recommend the framework and measures that should be put in place to address the concerns against state police.
“State Police should only be established on a basis of strict adherence to the principles of operational autonomy, and be based on sound professional practice in appointment, operations, and control.
“There should be defined parameters of cooperation which provide that where a state does not fully cooperate with its counterpart or the Federal Police on any matter the Federal Police should take over and deal with the matter as is common in other jurisdictions,” he said.
Describing the renewed and ongoing discussion between the Federal Government and the state governments and their reported agreement on the necessity of having state police, as a good development, Nwanguma urged the Civil society organizations to initiate engagement with the legislature to conduct informed debates in partnership with the media, towards amending the Constitution to allow for the establishment of State police.
