• President Tinubu canvasses support for state police creation to curb rising insecurity in the country
• Former President says state police creation is inevitable to stem the tide of killings, kidnappings, other security challenges
• In a twist of event, IGP Egbetokun says Nigeria is not yet ripe for state police, rather NSCDC, FRSC should be co-opted into policing

There are strong indications that the Nigerian President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun are currently at cross purposes as far as the establishment of long awaited state police is concerned.

WITHIN NIGERIA findings and facts emerging from recent security dialogue across the country to find a lasting solution to the growing insecurity across the nation indicated that while the President is very determined to bring the into being, the long awaited state police, his Inspector General of Police is equally, convincing well meaning Nigerians that the country is not yet ripe for establishment of state police.

President Tinubu speaks on the matter

President Bola Tinubu on Monday, April 22, 2024 described his administration’s resolve to reform the Nigeria Police Force and enhance security across Nigeria as unwavering.

Explaining further, the President observed that the idea of state policing is not just a mere policy proposal but a potential milestone in the evolution of the nation’s law enforcement framework that would create the opportunity to fashion law enforcement in a manner that would closely address the various demands of communities across the country.

In his speech while declaring open a one-day National Dialogue on State Policing with the theme “Pathways to Peace: Reimagining Policing in Nigeria,” held at the Abuja Continental Hotel, President Tinubu urged participants to consider the implications of state police.

Represented by the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, President Tinubu noted that his administration is very aware of the complex security issues confronting Nigeria and, as such, is continually developing and refining its strategies and methods to address the challenges effectively.

Declaring the President’s resolve to change the nation’s security narrative, the VP, in a statement by his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, said, “The commitment of the administration of President Tinubu to reform the police force and enhance security at both the national and state levels is unwavering.

“We view the outcomes of today’s deliberations as crucial inputs that will guide the government’s actions towards reforming the institution of the police and achieving a safer and more secure Nigeria.”

Senator Shettima implored participants at the National Dialogue on State Policing to look at the idea of state policing from multiple angles, saying the President deserves commendation for being open and proactive towards the idea of reforming and decentralising the police force.

In his words,  “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, adapt to specific local challenges, and increase accountability. At the same time, we must address concerns related to the standardisation of training, oversight, and the safeguarding of civil liberties.

“Our dialogue today should also be seen as an opportunity to listen, understand, and propose solutions that bridge gaps. It is essential that this forum is not the end but the beginning of an ongoing conversation on the issue of police and security sector reform in our country.”

VP Shettima expressed delight that the 10th House of Representatives under Speaker Tajudeen Abbas keyed into the idea of state policing, noting that “the involvement of the legislature in executive reform proposals ensures continuity and synergy.

“Let us use this opportunity to engage and explore every option with the seriousness and diligence they demand. The President is committed to listening to your recommendations and insights, invaluable to shaping the policies that will lead us toward a more secure and just society,” he added.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan gives more insight

Former President Goodluck Jonathan also described state police as a non-negotiable entity that Nigeria must establish.

Mr Jonathan who was president from 2010-2015, said the conversation must shift to the prevention of abuse by governors.

He stated this on Monday at the ongoing dialogue on state police organized by the House of Representatives.

According to the former President,  most times governors abuse institutions, however, the challenges are not sufficient to stop the creation of state police.

The former president said state police was wildly accepted by the delegates at the 2014 Confab.

“We can only end kidnapping and other forms of insecurity through the creation of state police,” Mr Jonathan said.

Earlier, in his opening remarks, the Deputy Speaker of the House, Ben Kalu argued that the current security situation in Nigeria requires a multilayer approach to insecurity.

He stated that over N5 billion has been paid in ransoms to kidnappers, a figure that starkly exposes the alarming growth of this criminal enterprise in the country.

In his remarks, Chairman of the occasion, former President Goodluck Jonathan, commended the organisers of the national dialogue, saying, “The issue today is not whether to establish state police but how it should be operated.

In his words, “there is no need to debate about state police.  The issues of state police and Coast Guards were accepted at the 2014 National Conference,” he added.

The former President said the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies at the border are not trained to deal with criminal gangs, even as he asked the government to concentrate on how to manage the state police in a way that it would not be hijacked by the political class.

He recommended that the Act establishing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) be revisited so that the police are not used for election malpractices and stuffing of the ballot boxes in states.

In the same vein, former Head of State, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), maintained that to make peace and ensure a safe society, governors must be transparent, responsible, and honest, as well as make the citizens go about their normal businesses.

He said the government should make laws to provide for an orderly environment, urging citizens to stop destroying or vandalizing public properties.

He also advised that traditional institutions and royal fathers should be given roles to play and be engaged in maintaining peace and order in their respective domains.

Also in his remarks, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, thanked participants at the dialogue, especially President Tinubu, Vice President Shettima, Gen Abdulsalami, and former President Jonathan, for lending their voices to the issue of establishing state police in the country.

He stated that, as former President and Head of State, their contributions will provide direction to the discourse on the issue of state police, given the dimension of insecurity in the country.

In his opening remarks, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Benjamin Kalu, thanked participants at the dialogue, saying they were gathered for a critical national security dialogue that demands critical solutions.

He recalled that the national dialogue gained momentum after President Tinubu called a meeting of governors and other stakeholders at the Presidential Villa to discuss issues about establishing state police in the country.

“The National Assembly is currently considering a bill towards establishing state police,”  he said, stressing that other countries like the “United States of America have a multi-layer police system with federal, state, country, and the FBI.”

Present at the event were the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin; Minister of Police Affairs, Ibrahim Gaidam; Minister of Budget and National Development, Dr. Atiku Bagudu; and Minister of State for Agriculture, Mustapha Baba Shehuri.

Others were former Minister of Interior, General Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau; the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III; the Ooni of Ife, HRM Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi; the Obi of Onitsha, HRM Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe; and the Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, among others.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan said that there is no need to debate about state police adding that the issues of state police and Coast Guards were accepted at the 2014 National Conference.

IGP differs on state police creation

In any case, against all the supports by the former presidents and other well meaning Nigerians for the creation of state police, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, said Nigeria is not yet mature to operate state governments-controlled police.

Mr Egbetokun made the statement this on Monday at the dialogue on state police organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review.

The IGP, who was represented by Ben Okolo, an assistant inspector general of the Nigeria Police Force, said the National Assembly should instead merge the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Commission NSCDC as departments under the federal police.

He stated that the police are opposed to the idea of state police but urged the lawmakers to properly fund the existing federal policing structure.

“It is the submission of the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force that Nigeria is yet to mature and ready for the establishment of state-controlled police,” Mr Egbetokun said.

He also argued that state policing would further exacerbate the existing ethnic tension in Nigeria. The speech was met with jeers and loud protests from the audience, who booed Mr Okolo.

Mr Egbetokun’s position is against the publicly expressed stance of Mr Tinubu on state policing.

WITHIN NIGERIA gathered the President has in February met with state governors in Abuja during which they considered “the possibility of setting up state police.”

“I did not acknowledge the Vice President properly in the opening of the speech…” Mr Okolo said as the hall erupted in laughter.

Even the Vice President could not help himself as he joined in laughing over the gaffe by the police officer.

it could be recalled that on February 20, 2024, the bill seeking to alter the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to provide for the establishment of the state police passed through second reading.

According to Section 214 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, it  states that,  “there shall be a Police Force for Nigeria, which shall be known as the Nigeria Police Force, and no other Police Force shall be established for the Federation or any part thereof”.

WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that the proposed legislation titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide for Establishment of State Police and for Related Matters (HB.617),” was sponsored by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu and 14 other lawmakers.

However, leading the debate, Hon. Tolani Shagaya, who is one of the sponsors of the bill noted that the primary purpose of government as enshrined in Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered) is the security and welfare of the citizens.

Lamenting the deteriorating level of insecurity in the country, Shagaya  noted that in recent times, the nation’s collective security had been greatly challenged and state policing was not only inevitable, but urgently desired to tackle the mounting challenges of insecurity.

In his words, “the establishment of state police is a clarion call for a tailored, community-centric policing system; and an acknowledgment that our states are uniquely positioned to address the security challenges within their borders.

“The transfer of ‘police’ from the ‘Exclusive Legislative List’ to the ‘Concurrent Legislative List,’ a move that effectively empowers states to have state controlled policing; the introduction of a comprehensive framework to ensure cohesion as well as accountability and uniform standards between the Federal Police and State Police; the provision of prescribed rigorous safeguards preventing unwarranted interference by the federal police in state police affairs, emphasising collaboration and intervention only under well-defined circumstances.

“The establishment of State Police Service Commissions as distinct from the Federal Police Service Commission with clearly defined roles and jurisdictions; a re-calibration of the National Police Council to include the Chairmen of the State Police Service Commissions, emphasising the collaborative and consultative nature of policing in our federal system, a recognition of the possible financial challenges which may be faced by states police, by empowering the federal government to provide grants or aids subject to the approval of the National Assembly, thus ensuring adequate resources for effective policing, etc.”

Furthermore, he stressed that the alterations proposed in the bill were not just alterations to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, but also the building blocks of a more secure, accountable and resilient Nigeria.

Hon. Ahmed Jaha while contributing to the bill stated that the bill was timely as security is the responsibility of all and everybody’s business and that with community policing and Nigerian police working in tandem, they will rid communities of all forms of crime.