The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has opposed the creation of state police in Nigeria.
The IGP stated that Nigeria, as a country, is not ripe for state police.
Represented by AIG Ben Okolo at a one-day dialogue on state policing, the IGP warned that the establishment of state police will execerbate ethnic tension across the country and could create divided loyalties in the states.
Egbetokun also stated that the establishment of state police will also lead to multiple command structures in the states.
He also said that state governors are likely to abuse the privilege of state police by using it for political gains, leading to possible abuse of power and abuse of huma rights.
He argued that the state government lack thereof required funding that will give birth to the type of policing that the nation requires.
Rather than estabalisibg state police, he recommend the merging of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Federal Road Safety Commission to form a department in the Nigeria Police Force.
He also said there is the need for a yearly recruitment of about 30,000 police personnel into the force annually to meet the UN requirements for modern policing, while also increasing annual budgetary allocation to the force.
Menwhile at the dialogue, Former President Goodluck Jonathan emphasised the necessity of establishing state police in Nigeria to ensure national security.
He stated this while speaking at a one-day dialogue organised by the House of Representatives in Abuja which is aimed to address the critical security issues facing the nation.
During his keynote speech, Jonathan reflected on the deliberations from the 2014 national conference, where the concept of state police received unanimous support among delegates alongside other security reforms.
“The debate shouldn’t be about the necessity of state police but rather how they operate,” Jonathan stated, stressing the importance of implementing this measure effectively.
