The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun has faulted the state Police bill, stating that Nigeria is not mature for state police.
Egbetokun spoke today at a national dialogue on state police organised by the Nigerian’s House of Representatives in Intercontinental Hotel, former Sheraton Hotel in Abuja
The theme of the dialogue is ‘Pathways to Peace: Re-imagining Policing in Nigeria’.
The IGP who was Represented by Ben Okolo, an assistant Inspector-General of Police, said Nigeria is not ready for a decentralised police force.
According to him, “There have been renewed calls for the establishment of state police following an uptick in kidnappings, banditry and violent attacks across the country.
The IGP said rather than create state police, the challenges mitigating against effective policing in Nigeria should be addressed.
He went further, listed some of the challenges as inadequate manpower, inadequate operational equipment such as vehicles, arms and ammunition, communication equipment, drones, aerial surveillance cameras, security surveillance helicopters, armoured vehicles, and inadequate training of personnel.
The IGP also noted that, there is the potential for abuse of power by the state political leadership. State governors could use the police force under their control for political or personal gain and compromise human rights and security.
The IGP therefore proposed that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) should be merged to become a department in the police.
