FELIX NWANERI reports on the clamour for state police due to growing insecurity across Nigeria and the seeming lack of political will on the part of the government to put measures in place for its establishment
As Nigerians continue to grapple with security challenges, it is unending demand for establishment of state police, which its proponents strongly believe will ensure better security for citizens’ lives and property given that the Nigeria Police Force that is saddled with the responsibility of maintaining law and order have failed to live up to expectations.
No doubt, the security challenge is not the making of the present administration, but President Bola Tinubu, in his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, promised to defend the nation from terror and all forms of criminality that threaten its peace and stability.
This, perhaps, explains why he did not waste time to rejig the security architecture he inherited from his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari. The President was barely three weeks in office, when he appointed new service chiefs as well as a new Inspector General of Police (IGP) and National Security Adviser (NSA).
However, despite the President’s assurance to Nigerians that his administration will stamp out violent crimes and all forms of criminalities everywhere in Nigeria as well as his directive to the security agencies to fish out criminal elements troubling the nation for them to face the full wrath of law, insecurity has persisted.
It is against this backdrop that most Nigerians are of the view that the nation’s security architecture, particularly the Nigeria Police Force, as structured, lacks what it takes to effectively tackle the nation’s security challenges.
Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which deals with operation, control, discipline and promotion in the police as well as Item 45 of the Exclusive Legislative List, Part 1 of the second schedule of the same constitution, provide that the Nigeria Police Force shall be under exclusive control of the Federal Government.
According to the section, “there shall be a police force for Nigeria, which shall be known as the Nigeria Police Force, and subject to the provisions of this section, no other police force shall be established for the federation or any part thereof.”
The constitution, also in section 215 (2) states that “the Nigeria Police Force shall be under the command of the InspectorGeneral of Police and any contingents of the Nigeria Police Force stationed in a state shall, subject to the authority of the Inspector-General of Police, be under the command of Commissioner of Police of that state.”
This provision, practically takes away the powers of governors, who are the chief security officers of their respective states, thereby making it difficult for them to take actions on security matters without approval from the Federal Government even in times of emergency.
This, perhaps, explains why calls for restructuring of Nigeria, which has been in the front burner for some time, has establishment of state-controlled police as part of its demands. Interestingly, President Tinubu, as governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007, was in the vanguard of the clamour at that time for the Federal Government to review relevant sections of the constitution to allow states to establish and maintain their own police forces.
While some stakeholders are of the view that Nigeria is not yet ripe for state police as there are no guarantees that state the governors will not, like in the past, abuse the system, there is no doubt that this is at variance with what operates in most countries that practice the federal system of government.
In the United States that Nigeria’s federal structure is fashioned after, there are several police agencies that exist separately. While the state police take charge of highways and enforcement of state laws, cities have their separate police bodies under the authority of commissioners, who are appointees of the mayors.
I see the efforts of civilian JTF and communities. This has again provoked my thinking on state police
Some cynics of state police believe that its establishment will lead to eventual disintegration of Nigeria because of existential threats, which may force some of the states to use the police under their respective control to the detriment of national interest.
There are others, who belief that governors are likely misuse state police, especially against members of the opposition although the same could equally be said of the central government as there have always been allegations that political parties in charge at the federal level have continuously used the police to rig elections.
These fears, notwithstanding, proponents of state police are of the view that the Federal Government must embark on a workable decentralization of the police force because the internal security of each state, in line with the federal system of government, is the responsibility of state authorities, while the central government plays a complementary role. According to them, establishment of independent police units managed and funded by state governments will ensure effective policing of the country.
They attributed the inefficiency of the Nigeria Police Force to under-funding and administrative bottlenecks. Noting that it is herculean for an individual to control the police force in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, they also maintained that it makes no sense that governors, who are the chief security officers in their respective states, do not have control of instruments of security.
They further posited that it is dangerous to expose the military to internal security issues as such may over time affect the impartiality and neutrality that military personnel are known for as well as compromise its traditional role to protect the territorial integrity of the nation.
No doubt, arguments against state police revolve around its abuse, but President Tinubu, in response to the clamour, specifically approved a committee comprising state governors and representatives of the Federal Government, to among others, explore modalities for establishment of state police as part of measures to check rising wave of insecurity in the country.
While some states responded immediately by submitting their positions on the issue, not much was heard about the committee after that.
Recall that governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had before the President’s endorsement, restated their position that state policing is the solution to the country’s worsening security situation.
Socio-political and regional groups such as Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Middle Belt Forum and the Northern Elders’ Forum, have also repeatedly called for establishment of state police. To these stakeholders and others, the prevailing security situation and the need for an effective response makes it imperative for states to set up their own police forces.
But, apparently heeding the call on urgency now as regards establishment of state police, the 36 states of the federation submitted their positions in December 2024, with a majority agreeing on the need for state-controlled policing.
Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, who revealed this to State House Correspondents after the 147th meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, said the consensus stemmed from various security challenges across the states.
The governor highlighted the central issue of ungoverned spaces in Nigeria and acute shortage of security personnel, including the police, army, and other relevant agencies, which are unable to cover all areas adequately as reasons why most of them agreed that establishment of state police in Nigeria is the way forward towards addressing the problem of insecurity.
While the council deferred final discussions until January, this year, when a detailed report from the NEC secretariat will be presented for deliberation, not much was heard from the council afterwards.
The mum notwithstanding, most Nigerians believe that state police is long overdue. And raising the peoples’ again, President Tinubu, last week, said establishment of state police is unavoidable, as part of efforts to strengthen security across the country.
The President, who stated this while reviewing the security situation in the North-East geo-political zone, said efforts of the civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) in curbing insecurity in the region had further reinforced his belief in the creation of state police. His words: “I have looked more carefully at the security situation. I see the efforts of civilian JTF and communities.
This has again provoked my thinking on state police. We can work with the National Assembly to design a framework that guarantees local ownership while ensuring political neutrality,” While some stakeholders were quick to hail the President, the two leading opposition parties, Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC), not said that he is not sincere about security issues in Nigeria, they contended that state police will destroy Nigeria’s democracy, weaken and intimidate opposition voices.
Chairman of PDP in Cross River State, Vena Ikem, who wondered what information is available to the President to convince him that Nigeria needs state police presently, maintained that the move will bury democracy.
“If we want to destroy the little we still have as a semblance of democracy, let us go ahead. If he wants to test the state police, I wish him luck but that will spell doom for this Republic. We’ll be here to remind us when it happens. We tested it with state electoral commissions and it has proven to be a disaster.” Deputy National Publicity Secretary of ADC, Dr Effiong Nyong, on his part, said the administration of President Tinubu is not sincere about the state police.
“It is clear that the government is either not interested or lacks the will to address security matters,” he said. While there is no doubt over the capability of the Federal Government to ensure law and order, it is indisputable that there is urgent need to curb rising insecurity that is threatening Nigeria’s unity, so the need for establishment of state police cannot be over-emphasised.
