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From Molly Kilete, Abuja
A former inspector-general of police (IGP), Sunday Ehindero, has warned against the visibility of soldiers in every nook and cranny of the country, saying it is not good for a democracy.
The ex-police chief has called for an urgent rejig of Nigeria’s security architecture to address the situation.
Ehindero, who spoke on behalf of retired IGPs at the launch of two biographies of former inspector-general of police, Usman Alkali Baba, in Abuja, said that while the military plays a crucial role in national security, its expanding presence was not good for the nation’s democracy.
While calling for a total rejig of the country’s security architecture, Ehindero said: “The security architecture of this country needs to be rejigged. With apologies to the military here, too much military visibility in a democracy is not good. While I praise them for the work they are doing—they are doing marvelously—it is not their fault. They should concentrate more on our borders to prevent these miscreants from coming into the country. Our territorial integrity must be maintained and protected.”
The former IGP, while dismissing claims that the country’s growing police population was a result of bad governance, said that Nigeria’s large population and persistent security challenges require an expanded police force.
He said, “We are about 230 million people. When people retire, die or are dismissed, the police must be replenished. I disagree with the notion that we have more policemen because of bad governance.”
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Ehindero, who said that he had opposed state police for decades, now supports the idea following the introduction of new checks and balances in the proposed model. He also called on the government to include retired police officers in ambassadorial appointments, recalling instances where senior officers were previously appointed as envoys.
“I have been against the establishment of state police for 30 years. But this time, when I saw the details, I embraced it. It is a step in the right direction, considering banditry, terrorism and other crimes,” he said.
Speaking on internal security leadership, the IGP condemned criticism over the current national security adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, for being a former police officer, noting that several retired IGPs formerly occupied similar national security roles.
Earlier, in his address, the former IGP Usman Alkali Baba, who commended President Bola Tinubu for what he described as renewed efforts to restore “police primacy” in internal security, praised the president’s recent directive withdrawing police personnel from what he called “undeserving” personalities.
Alkali said: “I am profoundly grateful to His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, for his consistent action directed at restoring dwindling police primacy in the internal security architecture. This was again made manifest by the recent presidential order on the withdrawal of police personnel attached to undeserving personalities.
“As far as my memory serves me, this is the first time that such an order will emanate directly from a sitting president. We tried to do it as IGPs, but we couldn’t make it. Let’s see how this one will work.”
