From Tony Osauzo and Lucky Ighomuaye, Benin
A Benin-based human rights activist and founder of One Love Foundation, Patrick Eholor, has described the court judgment barring the Federal Government from deducting states allocations to fund the police as a welcome development, saying that it has been a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul in the country.
‘We have been cheated for so long. You can’t generate funds in Port Harcourt and then neglect Port Harcourt and use the money to beautify Abuja for instance,’ he stated.
‘The Nigerian police is the establishment of the constitution. We do not have state police but federal police.
‘So, is it not ironic when you are using the state money to be paying federal police? The states need their money to do other things. I am glad at the judgment.
‘The Federal Government should scrap and return all the money deducted back to the states because the money was not theirs in the first instance.
‘I am glad that it happened like that and I want other governors to take a cue from Wike,’ Eholor added.
He advised other governors to take the bold step and speak up too.
‘I want to say I encourage other governors to at least challenge the law like this and set precedent because, without precedent in law, law will not be abiding. So when there is precedent in law, it makes it very interesting.
‘So, that is why I am advocating for us to have a truly independent judiciary,’ he said.
Also speaking, a lawyer who asked to remain anonymous, said the constitution is clear on the matter as the police is a creation of the constitution while the PTF is not and based on that, deducting money to fund the police is out of place.