The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba has asked those agitating for State Police to be specific on how they would want it to be.
Answering reporters’ questions today, May 27 at an interactive session in Abuja, the police boss said that some state police and community policing had always been in place.
“I remember as far back as 1998, I think I had a project in one of our course writings on desirability of state policing and the issue has been reoccurring, but now I think it is no more.
“If you look at it technically, I doubt if there is any state that does not have state police even now. What do I mean?
“There are creations that are done by state governments to assist law enforcement agencies in trying to maintain law and order, or enforce regulations or laws that are created by state governments.
“We have vigilante everywhere in this country. We have various types of organisations that have been created by state governments to assist in policing.
“Some of them even have House of Assembly laws that guide their operations.
“The space is open to everybody. We even always say, policing is not a matter of the Nigerian police, or the Nigerian law enforcement agents; everybody can be involve on policing.
“But I want to know, the shape that the advocates of state police want it to take and it is an issue that is left for lawmakers and government.
“We are ready to work with anybody. We are ready to collaborate and synergize with anybody to make sure that Nigerian citizens enjoy the best of protection simple.
“And if you look at it, the community policing aspect: we have trained over 70,000 Nigerians from all states of the Federation, to assist in crime prevention and control. In fact, we have even gone to the extent of using the Police Act to kit them with police uniform, that will give them an identification as spy.
“And that is to say, all those who are trained to go back and assist in policing within their own locality. You are policing capability and powers ends within your community. And it is the community that we suggest who and who will be involved in such a business and we are working with them.
“State governments or state governors are chief security officers of their states. “As far as I’m concerned, they are and remain one. And my commissioners of police are ready to take all local instructions from them.
“As for agitation, it is there but everybody is already involved in creating one agency or the other to compliment the efforts of the Nigerian security agencies. The National Assembly can look into the agitation which is their own responsibility.”
