Who Is Afraid Of State Police?

By Ojo Tope Stephen

A lot of opinions and counter- opinions have been expressed on the agitation for the creation of State Police. Most of the views centre on its viability, veracity and sustainability and how it can complement the existing Nigerian Police Force in combating crimes. The present arrangement places the administration and control of the police under the exclusive power of the Federal Government of Nigeria, with the sole constitutional responsibility of protecting the lives and property of the citizenry.

This argument has been on for a while with various individuals, groups and interests canvassing different positions.  The recent upsurge in the rate of crime as well as other security challenges such as terrorism, kidnapping and armed banditry facing the country,  has further placed the discussion on the issue of state police on the front burner. Unfortunately, debate on such an important issue as this has been largely characterized by parochial and political colourations. While most of the  southern governors are agitating for the creation of State Police, their Northern counterparts are favourably disposed to the sustenance of the old order. The high time we got this right the better for the country, particularly, now that the National Assembly is trying to amend the constitution.

State Police is an important component of true federalism and emblem of authority of governance, since sovereignty is divided between the central authority and federating state authorities.  State Police is not a new concept in Nigeria, but is rather a clamour for modification to the colonial legacy of Native Authority Police which successfully worked alongside the Nigeria Police Force till the 1970s before it was abolished and integrated into a single Nigeria Police Force by the military oligarchy to achieve their unitary command system. The Native Authority police was very effective as a tool for combating crime and maintaining orderliness then, though with some excesses and abuses typical of the party politics as it was played at that time.  Today, party politics is more mature and robust than it used to be in time past. Though the 1999 Constitution provides for a single federal police, this precludes states from taking charge of the protection of lives and properties of their people as Chief Security Officer and denied them the emblem of authority. If Nigeria is really a federation, this is a constitutional lacuna that must be addressed through constitution amendment to pave way for State Police.

One of the arguments being canvassed by the antagonists of State Police is the possibility and likelihood of abuses by the Chief Executives of the states to among others use State Police to settle political scores, as ´’Nigerians are politically immature for State Police”. The proponents of this argument forget that this is a democratic era, where apart from its checks and balances, has other institutional control mechanisms. Should allocation of resources to government or its agencies for development purposes be stopped based on the assumption that some few corrupt officials would mismanage them? If state governors could manage  other institutions of governance there is no reason why they cannot manage state police. The combined team of LASTMA, Federal Road Safety Commission officials along with the police are all collaborating and complementing one another on Lagos roads to maintain traffic and instil discipline in motorists. Just imagine Lagos roads with just only traffic police in control!

It has also been argued that many states cannot afford the cost of establishing and maintaining state police. It is worthy to note that the primary and most fundamental responsibility of any government at whatever level  is the protection of lives and property of its citizenry. This is the cross they swore to carry and mist carry it at whatever cost. Indeed, most states in the country have been doing this indirectly by spending huge amount of resources on the Nigeria police in their respective states.

One is forced to sympathize with the governors who are called the Chief Security Officers of their various states, while in reality they are not. The population, budgets and resources of some of the states are far more than those of most countries of the world, yet they cannot deploy or command a single policeman. Their personal security is even at the mercy of the Inspector General of Police and the President. How then would a man who is not in charge of his own security guarantee the security of the people. Ironically, most state governments have been funding the Nigerian Police Force with the chunk of their resources. Lagos state for example, under the present administration of Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola has donated dozens of armoured personnel carriers, hundreds of 4X4 trucks, hundreds of power bikes, two helicopters, thousands of bullet proof jackets and helmets, AK-47 rifles, ammunition, welfare and allowance packages running into billions of naira with other logistics to the state police command to enhance their operational efficiency and competency.

How does one expect the federal police to effectively enforce laws that are promulgated by the states? It sounds illogical. They can only enforce it in their own way and interest. For instance, the good intention of the Lagos State government on the state traffic law, particularly the section that bans the operations of commercial motorcycle operators, also known as Okada riders, from certain roads and bridges are being abused by a few unscrupulous men of the Nigeria police. It is not unusual these days to find policemen indiscriminately arresting and receiving gratifications from Okada riders even when they are not sent by the state government on such mission.

Fortunately, everyone seems to agree with the fact that Nigeria is currently under-policed. The current 370,000 policemen are grossly inadequate to effectively police a population of 170 million. This makes nonsense of the United Nations recommendation of a minimum police-population ratio. The Federal Government already has too much on its hands to contend with. The recent revelation through a special broadcast by Channels Television on the sorry state of the Nigeria Police College, Ikeja, is a strong indication that the Federal Government needs to shelve some of its responsibilities for the state governments to achieve optimal results.  The Nigeria Police, as it is presently constituted, is inadequately funded and lacks the required capacity to effectively train its officers. No wonder, the morale of men and women of the force is presently at its lowest ebb.

In the final analysis, State Police is desirable for a federal arrangement like Nigeria to combat crime as being practiced by other federating units all over the world. Nigeria can successfully and efficiently operate State Police alongside the Nigerian Police Force, given the required political will and genuine concern for the security of lives and property. We can start by giving them some limited operational responsibilities and create an institutional watch dog that would monitor their excesses and abuses. This will inevitably take security pressure off the shoulder of the Federal Government and Nigeria would, indeed, be the better for it.

•Stephen is of the Public Relations Unit,nit, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.