NIGERIANS might still have a long wait to experience effective policing. In a note after its monthly meeting of March, the National Economic Council said only 16 of 36 states had submitted memoranda to it on the establishment of state police. Although NEC, statutorily chaired by the Vice-President, refused to name those liable, it means 20 states – or more than a half –, are delaying the process. Consequently, the next chapter can only come at the NEC roundtable in April, prolonging the actualisation of devolved policing. The delay is unwarranted in view of Nigeria’s woeful security situation. Therefore, those concerned should expedite action on the long-running saga.
At the February NEC meeting, the states gave their commitment to state police. The President, Bola Tinubu, also said the states had sanctioned it. According to Kashim Shettima, the 16 states broadly endorsed state police with the caveat that the 1999 Constitution be amended to reflect it. It is surprising that 20 states are still foot-dragging on it.
Really, Nigeria’s security situation deserves an expeditious action to arrest the dangerous slide to anarchy. In their numbers, the terrorists, oil militants/thieves, bandits, cultists and robbers are exploiting the gaps in the system, with the single federal police force of 371,000 feeble in its response. A former governor of Zamfara noted that there are 120,000 bandits in the North-West alone.
Between the February and March NEC meetings, terrorists and bandits had kidnapped about 500 persons in four states in the North-West and North-East. In Borno, the epicentre of Islamic terrorism, the UN said Boko Haram abducted over 200 inhabitants in the outskirts of three internally displaced persons camps in Gamborou-Ngala LGA.
Shortly after, bandits raided a Kaduna school in Chikun LGA, grabbing 137 pupils, who were only rescued after 16 days. The terrorists returned after the rescue to abduct 25 other persons in the state. Bandits also invaded an Islamiyah school in Sokoto, kidnapping 15 schoolchildren. On February 20, they abducted over 26 travellers in a daring highway raid on the Gusau-Sokoto Expressway.
In the North-Central, abductions and killings persist in Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa and Niger states. In Delta, villagers slaughtered 17 soldiers on a peace mission to the warring Okuama and Okoloba communities in Ughelli South and Bomadi LGAs on March 14. In Aniocha LGA, police said youths murdered six officers there a week ago. Violence consumed two other officers in Imo the same week.
With the tenuous security situation, it is logical to actualise state police. Unlike the other 24 federal states in the world, Nigeria is the only country operating a single police system. It has discovered to its chagrin that this is a national folly. The lesson from the United States, Canada, Australia and Germany is devolved policing.
As is normal in this kind of endeavour, stakeholders are expressing fear that governors would abuse state police. The fear is genuine, but it should in no way abort it. This can be handled with strong constitutional provisions.
Meanwhile, the federal police are being grossly abused by the centre. A long-standing practice, the government and police hierarchy connive to illegally deploy officers to VIPs, estimated at two-thirds of the manpower. This renders policing vexingly otiose and lopsided in favour of a few affluent persons, leaving most communities orphaned of police presence.
Established in 1861, the police force had its roots in regionalism until it was nationalised in the 1960s after the military coup of January 1966. Policing ought to return to that era. It will not only deepen federalism in Nigeria, but its multi-layered structure will also ensure that there are more officers across board to attend to the security needs of the citizens.
