At a time the majority of Nigerians are rooting for the establishment of multilayer policing to curb the intractable nationwide insecurity, it is unfortunate that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has strongly argued that Nigeria is not yet ripe for state police. The police boss spoke at a one-day National Dialogue on State Policing anchored on the theme, “Pathways to Peace: Reimagining Policing,” in Abuja.
According to his representative at the event, AIG Ben Okolo, “on the issue of state police, it is the submission of the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) that Nigeria is not yet mature and ready for state-controlled police.” Egbetokun is afraid that state police can be abused by governors for political gains. State police can also be used to undermine human rights and security. The IGP is also afraid that there would be conflict of jurisdiction between the federal police and the respective state police should state police be in place.
It is probably based on these fears that the IGP who spoke at the event concluded that Nigeria is not ripe for state police. He also recommended that rather than having state police, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) should be merged with the police. While I totally disagree with his postulation that Nigeria is not yet ripe for state police, I tend to agree with him with merging the police with FRSC and the NSCDC. I say so because I had canvassed it before in some of my articles. Two, those agencies perform similar functions as the police hence the duplication of such agencies is unnecessary.
There are some reports that the IGP has retracted this statement and that it represents the views of AIG Okolo. Regardless of whoever owns the view, it is still relevant in the ongoing dialogue on the future of policing in Nigeria. The IGP opinion is not novel. He has many supporters as well. The fears he expressed are genuine and should not be dismissed just like that. The kind of governors we have today, who behave like emperors, will utterly abuse the state police if there are no stringent laws to curb their excesses. Now that some of them are acting like tin gods without state police, they will eventually assume the position of gods if they are given the powers to control state police.
However, we should not because of the dreaded abuse jettison an idea whose time has come. The present centralized policing can also be abused by the powers that be. Put in another way, politicians and highly placed individuals have abused the present policing system. IGP Egbetokun is aware of this fact. He should stop being economical with the truth. In fact, there is no institution in the country that is not open to abuse. If you have any, please name it.
We cannot kill an idea simply because people will abuse it. It is a fact that people can fall from palm tree. But it has not prevented palm wine tappers from climbing them. The fear of death through pregnancy has not prevented marrying of wives and night activities in the ‘other room.’ Has the fear of accidents prevented flying and travelling with other modes of transportation? Despite drowning, people still travel through the waterways. That a gun can kill its bearer does not prevent our security agents from bearing guns. It does not prevent individuals from procuring guns for hunting.
How can the fear of abuse by state governors prevent the creation or establishment of state and local government police to tackle the festering nationwide insecurity? We need to think deeply and come up with useful ideas on how to drive multiple layers of police as practiced in other federations. The United States (US) from where we copied our presidential system of government presents a good model of multilayer policing. Which US governor has abused state police or county police or city police?
Which US governor has violated the rights of the citizens by using state police? Instead of bowing to the argument of Egbetokun and his co-travellers on this issue, efforts should be made to understudy the US multilayer policing system with a view of finding out how it works. We shall find out why US governors don’t abuse state police. We shall also find out why their state police is working and working effectively.
The fear of abuse is not enough to jettison the establishment of state police. We should stop letting fear prevent us from reaching our goals as a nation or even as individuals. The greatest enemy of man is the fear of the unknown. Egbetokun’s use of fears of abuse alone to conclude that Nigeria is not yet ripe for state police amounts to over-generalization. On that score, he missed the point on state police. What should be of utmost concern now is how we can use multilayer policing to check the rising insecurity and not the fear of its abuse. The laws to check the abuse of state police will be put in place.
Other speakers at the event including President Bola Tinubu, former President Goodluck Jonathan and the President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio, who rescued the situation, spoke in favour of state policing. President Tinubu, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said his administration is committed to reform the police force and enhance security at national and state levels and ensure a safer and more secure Nigeria. The president is in support of looking at state police from multiple perspectives.
According to him, “in our deliberations, let us consider the implications of state policing from multiple perspectives. We must evaluate its potential to improve response times to emergencies, and increase accountability. At the same time, we must address concerns related to the standardization of training, oversight, and the safeguarding of civil liberties.” No doubt, the President spoke well and provided a good template for further dialogue on the issue.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan sees state policing as the only solution to the nation’s protracted insecurity and therefore not negotiable. According to him, “we don’t need to debate whether we should have state police or not. I think it is already settled: there is no way to manage our internal security if the states do not have their police.” Jonathan says that what should concern us now is how to check abuse of state police by state political actors. No doubt, the former president spoke well. On his contribution, Senate President Godswill Akpabio said that if the country must create a state police, they must be free from politics, religion and ethnicity. He also spoke well.
While more views and perspectives are needed in reforming the nation’s police force, it is good to set up the machinery for the creation of state police. Let the lawmakers take it as a patriotic duty and start providing the necessary frameworks for the establishment of state police. The nation’s internal security is at great risk without the creation of state and local government policing. There is even no time to waste on this issue. The creation of state police is not a rocket science. Other countries have done it and achieved much success, we too can do it.