The northern governors and traditional rulers’ call for state police

Section 14(2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended provides that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. There is therefore a constitutional responsibility upon the Federal, State and Local Governments to ensure that the protection of lives and properties of every Nigerian are guaranteed. Security should be everyone’s business. Unfortunately, the story of Nigeria has been progressively worse because of the over-centralisation and monopoly of security and its apparatus by the behemoth called the federal government.

The Nigerian Police (Establishment) Act, 2020 is a centrist legislation that concentrates the control and management of the entire Police Force on one person, the Inspector General of Police, who sits in his air-conditioned office in Abuja, far away from the theatres of violence and crimes. All the States’ Commissioners of Police and Assistant Inspectors General of Police are just mere proxies because they must seek permission from Abuja before they embark on any major security operation. I daresay that no Commissioner of Police can invade a community of any big man in Nigeria where criminals are hiding or arrest any big man without clearance from Abuja. The governors are helpless in all these, though they are jokingly referred to as the Chief Security Officers of their States. It is cheapening for the Police Force Headquarters to be investigating cases of theft, assault, domestic quarrels, ownership of land, civil contracts, defamation, and manslaughter and cyber-bullying that can be handled by the local police. Suspects in these cases are arrested (usually without warrants) and taken to Abuja, hundreds of kilometres away from the scene of crime or their residence just for investigation, which can be better done at the local police stations. What is the reason for this? Is it pecuniary?

The entire nation is now a hotbed of crisis because of insecurity everywhere. Nowhere in Nigeria is safe, including Abuja. Most of the governors of the South have been consistently calling for the establishment of State Police to tackle the increasing criminal activities in their various states. Previous Constitutional and National Conferences have recommended the creation of State Police. The Governors of Ondo, Lagos, Ogun, Nassarawa and Benue state have shouted to the high heavens for State Police but Abuja never listened. The call was seen as an attempt at balkanisation of the country. Is Nigeria not already balkanised with insurgency, kidnapping and terrorism taking over everywhere? How many more innocent Nigerians and properties must be killed and destroyed before our rulers finally accept State Police as the solution? Why should state governors continue to donate vehicles and security equipment worth billions of naira to their State Police Commands when the same Commissioners of Police will not take instructions from them without getting clearance from Abuja? It makes no sense.

The Nigerian Police is overwhelmed and it should be bold to say it. With a population of a bit above 200 million Nigerians, we have less than 370,000 Policemen with almost half of this number being assigned to protect the politicians, looters, yahoo plus merchants, wives, mothers and mistresses of politicians and big men in the society. Another huge number is assigned to companies to protect their top employees and expatriates. Policing is now commercialised. Less than 20% (70,000) of the total number of policemen in the Force is assigned to “protect” the more than 199.9 million ordinary Nigerians. Sadly, this 20%, instead of protecting the ordinary citizens, become thorns in the flesh with illegal arrests and extortion of average Nigerians.

It is in this light that the recent call by the governors and traditional rulers of the Northern region for the creation of State Police is most welcomed. The antagonism towards the establishment of State Police has been more from the North. Ironically, the North is worst hit with insurgents taking over many towns and taxing Nigerians. Kidnappings and killings are the new normal in many parts of the North. Even the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari has not been spared of terrorist attacks. Mr. President, dismantle the ineffective and inefficient behemoth called the Nigerian Police Force. The legislators should stop acting like puppets and do the right thing by taking the initiative for the creation of regional, state and Local Government Police.

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