Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Prof. Itse Sagay, has described the creation of state police as a “very good idea” that could significantly improve security in Nigeria, stressing that states willing to establish their own police forces should be allowed to do so.
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In an interview with ARISE News on Friday, Prof. Sagay said, “Some of us have been campaigning and conversing for this for years. And it’s been the Northern brothers who were against it for reasons which I don’t know.
“So I’m glad that we now have a president who is keen on having it. And so we are really looking forward to the whole process for amending the constitution so that states which wish it can establish their own police organisations. It’s a very good idea, given the security problems that we have in this country.”
Addressing concerns over potential abuse of power by state governors, Prof. Sagay insisted that such fears were overstated. He explained, “We have been under a federal police system for a very long time.
“And if we have survived the exercise of authority by the president over the use of the force, we will survive the exercise of power by governors over state police. So I think we should go ahead with it.”
He further argued that governors now have the financial capacity to fund state police, noting, “Since the removal of subsidy, the governors have been flushed with money. And I don’t know whether, in fact, they have used these excess funds properly.
“I have not seen any important thing that has been done, any changes in our environment, which is consistent with such a huge inflow of fresh funds. So they might as well spend it on establishing a police force for each of the states.”
Prof. Sagay also addressed the structure and oversight of state police, saying, “I think the state police should be under the overall control of the state governor. That is necessary because he is the chief security officer of the state.
“And I believe that the Nigerian civil society is so strong now that any abuse of powers by state governors will be met with fierce challenges. I know there will be some abuse, knowing the nature of Nigerian politicians.
“But I think they can be checkmated, they can be exposed and embarrassed and also can be taken to court if they abuse the powers that they have under the state police system.”
On the practicality of implementing state police across Nigeria, Prof. Sagay expressed cautious optimism. “Exactly. That’s still my fear. I mean, my own idea, when the northern governors or northern politicians were against the idea of state police, my view was that, no problem, if you do not want state police in your states in the north, we in the south want it.
“Don’t stop us from having it. Because their attitude was, we don’t want it and you can’t have it. That was the problem then.
“So if there’s an amendment which now allows, because the present constitution is very clear, only the Nigerian police force should exist in Nigeria, if this can be amended to allow states to establish their own police forces, then I think we are going to have a situation in which the fight against all these bandits and murderers and so on will be firmer, will be more successful, and the safety of Nigerians will be better guaranteed.”
He added that with the current support of 36 state governors, including the FCT, the likelihood of state police being implemented successfully is high.
“Once the governors agree, then there’s no problem, because I know the National Assembly so far has virtually carried out every wish of the president. So I think they are quite secure in that regard. If the governors want it, then I don’t think there’s any obstacle anymore.”
Prof. Sagay concluded that state police would play a critical role in combating insecurity but stressed the need for effective deployment and modern equipment.
“Yes, I think the establishment of state police will definitely improve our security situation. There will be more security men, more available to be used in the various spheres of the war—I call it war now—against insecurity.
“But apart from that, I am not satisfied that the current establishment we have is doing what is best in the circumstances. We should have security men in various parts of the country where these bandits and criminals are known to be located, so that when there’s any attack anywhere, within minutes, security in that area should arrive on the spot and give it very hot pursuit of the criminals.
“What is happening now is that you have an attack, and then ten hours after, when the criminals have long gone and settled wherever they are, the security arrives and, of course, is of no use to anybody.”
He highlighted the importance of modern technology, saying, “Apart from that, we have a lot of various electronic things that have been discovered in recent years. There are so many ways you can find out where criminals are in various parts of your environment.
“For example, in the US and in developed countries, there is no hiding place for criminals anymore. We have various ways of determining where they are.
“I don’t know why we don’t have that sort of equipment, so that we can always locate them and attack them before they even organise to attack us,”he concluded.
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