Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir, a well-known Islamic cleric from Plateau State, has fiercely denounced the Federal Government’s intentions to create state police, cautioning that doing so will exacerbate insecurity and encourage political persecution.
According to reports, Jingir’s remarks were made just days after President Bola Tinubu asked the National Assembly to think about changing the Constitution to permit the establishment of state police as a means of addressing the nation’s growing level of insecurity.
Decentralizing policing authority, especially in politically delicate states like Plateau, might lead to abuse, the monk warned.
The Islamic scholar, who is also the National Chairman of the Council of Ulama, Jama’atu Izalatul Bid’ah Wa’Ikamatis Sunnah, voiced concerns that politicians could influence state-run security forces during a program in Jos on Sunday.
Under the pretense of preserving security, he said, such institutions may be used to threaten or even kill political rivals.
He claimed that state police might be used as a tool to undermine the tenuous peace in a politically heated setting like Plateau State.
Sheikh Jingir stated, “Some issues, they will pretend as if everything has gone down, but they will just raise them when the security outfit is established.”
The monk also attributed his long-standing disapproval of state police to worries that residents may use the force to target anyone they thought were settlers.
He cautioned that the establishment of security services under state control could give some groups the confidence to drive others from the state.
They claim that every state ought to have police. Will we accept this if someone claims he will? He posed the question rhetorically.
Worshippers responded, “Not at all,” in unison.
Sheikh Jingir warned against giving governors the power to manage security forces in a direct address to President Tinubu.
“You are aware of how they deceived us. Some of these politicians are not as good as you, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; they are not as good as someone like Kashim Shettima.
“Wallahi, they will begin murdering people who do not share their political beliefs if you allow them to set up police,” he said.
His belief that not all political actors should be entrusted with such authority was emphasized by the mention of Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The cleric emphasized that peace and stability must come before party interests, even as he acknowledged the growing insecurity in Nigeria.
He advocated for ongoing communication between political players and communities as a means of achieving enduring peace as opposed to the establishment of new security frameworks that might widen gaps.
The argument over state police has heated up in recent weeks. Supporters contend that decentralized policing would enhance local information collecting and reaction times, while opponents worry it will strengthen governmental control over security and worsen political and ethnic tensions.
Sheikh Jingir’s comments join the increasing chorus of those warning against the proposed constitutional revisions as the National Assembly considers them, especially in states with a history of political and ethnic strife.
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