IT has been observed that Nigeria’s democracy is not yet matured enough to contain the operation of a state policing system this is against the backdrop of agitation for state police to check insecurity in the country.
The observation was made by an aspirant for the Dass\Tafawa Balewa\Bogoro Federal constituency seat of Bauchi State in the 2019 general election under the banner of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) Samaila Idris during an interaction with newsmen in Bauchi Monday while reacting to the clamour for the creation of State Police in the face of rising security challenges in the country, saying that the idea would not solve the security problem in the country but rather worsen it.
The aspirant who is contesting the seat presently occupied by the Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara argued that the country has not attained the political maturity to adopt State Police, as the idea “would be subjected to political manipulation, pointing out that in a country where people still identified with tribes rather than the country, the idea was not good for national unity”.
While expressing his opposition to the clamour, Samaila Idris opined that “Considering Nigeria as a nation with its peculiar characteristics, state police would have been the best option to bring to an end the insecurity challenges in the country, but Nigeria is a multi-ethnic country, it will be difficult to operate a state police “.
The aspirant added that “With the National police, we all know what we are facing in terms of the institution of their constitutional duties. There are many instances in the past where the police have been using for the interest of those in government.”
ALSO READ: Ekiti 2018: We’ll man Kogi, Kwara, Osun, Ondo states’ borders to Ekiti – Police
“There is also the issue of corruption and witch hunting, that is the police been used by those in power to achieve their interests or settle political scores”, he further said.
On the issue of agitations for the sack of security chiefs, the Bauchi based lawyer said that sacking the security chiefs was not the answer to the insecurity challenge as they were appointed based on their competence and track record of performance.
He said that whosoever the president appointed as a security chief was because the person had the capabilities to function in that office, adding that bringing a different person entirely who is not conversant with the insecurity challenge in the country was like appointing a novice who will start all over again from the scratch.
Samalia Idris, however, said that the way forward was for the government to strengthen the Federal Police by providing it with the wherewithal to deal with the country’s challenges.
He then urged Nigerians to tolerate and love one another, saying that would help stop clashes between citizens of different political, ethnic and religious background
and then