Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, and his Anambra and Zamfara State counterparts, Charles Soludo and Dauda Lawal, have thrown their weights behind the creation of state police in Nigeria.
The governors expressed their support for the decentralization of police on Thursday at the Arise Television’s Town Hall on State Police.
Mbah said there is no doubt that the current policing model is not sufficient to address the threats the country is facing, stressing that it has not kept pace with Nigeria’s security challenges.
He argued that governors cannot be held responsible for security without the operational authority needed to protect lives and property.
“As governor, you must be in a position to act swiftly to nip crime in the bud. In Enugu, we have implemented this approach to an extent, and it has helped drive crime down by over 90%.
“That result shows why the argument for decentralised policing is necessary. That debate is settled,” he said.
On his part, Soludo said the issue of state police is part of a march toward a more functional and effective federal structure, noting that state policing should not be viewed in isolation.
“It must be understood within the context of the unfinished business of building a sustainable federal security and justice system.
“However, one critical point missing from this entire conversation is the increasing devolution of functions from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List, without corresponding and drastic revisions to the revenue allocation formula,” he said.
Also speaking, Lawal said state police will give governors real authority as chief security officers of states.
According to him, while governors are called the chief security officers of their respective states, the command and control structure is not under them.
“The introduction of state police will enable governors to fulfill their responsibility and be held accountable for security in their states. I support state police. I recognise people’s fears of possible abuse, but with the right processes in place, those fears will be allayed,” he said.
