15082018 - SARS: Osinbajo orders probe of abuses; IG rejigs squad

26—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2018
MOUNTING INSECURITY, HELPLESS GOVERNORS:
State Police to the rescue?
*It's a welcome development — Pandef, Afenifere, Benue State govt, Falana,
others
*We should be cautious,weigh the costs — Ahmed Joda, Odubela
*Nigeria not ripe for state police — Dr. Junaid Mohammed, Alhaji Abubakar
Tsav
By Innocent Anaba, Charles Kumolu,
Abdulwahab Abdulah, Peter Duru,
Gbenga Oke, Onozure Dania, Chioma
Onuegbu
NOT a few Nigerians were taken aback
when Zamfara State Governor,
Abdul’aziz Yari, announced, last June, that
he was dropping his title or position as the
Chief Security Officer of the state. And by
way of an explanation, he had given as reason
for taking this radical, unprecedented
decision: lack of control of the state security
machinery.
As most Nigerians tried to come to terms
with this bombshell of an announcement, it
had emerged that the governor’s action was
a form of protest against his helplessness in
arresting or stemming the tide of recurring
killings in his state. Describing his
constitutional position of “Chief Security
Officer” as a mere nomenclature, he said:
“We have been facing serious security
challenges over the years, but in spite of
being governor and Chief Security Officer of
the state, I cannot direct security officers on
what to do nor sanction them when they err”.
He added that it only took a presidential order
from Abuja for the killings to stop.
Governor’s Yari’s experience is not an
isolated one. It will also be recalled that
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State had
repeatedly expressed his helplessness to
tackle killings in the state, noting that even
though in name he is the state chief security
officer, he was not in control of the police.
The same complaints had been given by
many other governors, who expressed
helplessness in confronting insecurity in their
respective states due to the fact that they are
not in control of the police, which is controlled
from Abuja and most often do not respond
at the speed a sitting governor would want
in the event of crisis in a state.
It is for this reason that many have before
now argued and continue to argue that the
introduction of state police into the Nigerian
policing system is possibly the best option
for curbing the spate of security challenges
in the country. The National Assembly recently
rekindled hope for the actualisation of
this as a bill to that effect has scaled first reading
in the Senate, while the same bill has
scaled second reading in the House of Representatives.
The bill is specifically in reaction to cries
across the country over attacks, particularly
in the Middle Belt and North West, by
gunmen, while state governors as chief security
officers have been helpless in dealing
with insecurity in their states.
The Bill
The Bill before the Senate for the alteration
of the 1999 Constitution for the creation of
state police entitled ‘Constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) Bill,
2018’ is sponsored by the Deputy Senate
President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu and cosponsored
by 49 other Senators.
The Bill seeks to alter the provisions of the
Constitution to establish State and
Community Police; change the names of
Nigeria Police Force to Federal Police Service;
the Nigerian Police Service Commission to
National Police Service Commission; the
Nigerian Police Council to the National Police
Council; and other related matters.
The Bill also seeks for the creation of a National
Police Service Commission to be
responsible for the appointment of persons
to offices (other than office of the Inspector-
General of Police) in the Federal Police;
exercising disciplinary
control
over members
of the
Federal Police;
recommending
to the Governor
of a State
the appointment
of the
Commissioner
of Police,
Deputy Commissioners
of
Police and Assistant
Commissioners
of
Police of the
State Police
based on a list
In spite of being
governor and
Chief Security
Officer of the
state, I cannot
direct security
officers on what to
do nor sanction
them when they
err
submitted to it
by the State Police Service Commission of the
relevant state and subject to confirmation by
the House of Assembly of the State.”
It also seeks to provide a State Police Service
Commission to recommend to the Governor,
the discipline and removal of the Commissioner
of Police, Deputy Commissioners
of Police and Assistant Commissioners of Police
of the State Police; supervising the activities
of the Federal Police and State Police
to the extent provided for in this Constitution
or by an Act of the National Assembly;
prescribe standards for all police forces in the
country in training, criminal intelligence data
bases, forensic laboratories and render assistance
to State Police in areas as may be requested
by such State Police.”
Against the backdrop of the mixed feelings
the introduction of the bill has generated,
Vanguard sought the reaction of crosssection
of Nigerians, lawyers, socio-cultural
organisations on what the fresh move by the
National Assembly to actualise state police
portends for the country.
State police will benefit Nigeria — PANDEF
In his response, Chairman, Pan Niger Delta
Forum and former military administrator of
Akwa Ibom State, Air Commodore Idongesit
Nkanga said: “The call for the establishment
of state police has been a recurring thing. So
many people have been talking about it; it is
going to benefit Nigeria. For instance, looking
at what is happening in Benue State, if there
was state police the governor would have
reacted much better.
“But the federal police that is in Benue does
not understand the terrain, does not
understand the language. And
they(policemen) wait for the Inspector General
of Police to give instruction. There is no
way you can react to crimes like that. These
are the issues.
"But if it were to be state police, the crime
rate would have gone down because most of
them know the way, the culture of criminals
in their areas. So it is good that the National
Assembly is talking about it.
“Maybe it is due to the biting insecurity situation
in the country, that they are talking about
it; but we are saying that restructuring is a
holistic thing, there is no need doing it in
piecemeal. There are 64 items in the exclusive
list of the Federal Government which include
state police. It is under true federalism
that you have devolution of powers and under
devolution of powers, you have the state
police.”
There is nothing wrong with state Police
—Afenifere
PANDEF's stand on the issue is shared
by the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group,
Afenifere. According to its National Publicity
Secretary, Mr Yinka Odumakin: “The call
for State Police is not new to us. Even in the
First Republic, there were calls for a state police.
If we have such institution in place, it
will not take President Buhari three months
to know that the Inspector General of Police
did not carry out his orders. There must be
local content to policing in Nigeria.
“You can imagine the Federal Government
sending 30,000 policemen to Ekiti just for
election purposes; you can imagine how lean
the security would be during the general elections.
So it will be wrong for those arguing
that state won’t be able to pay the salaries. I
feel strongly that if states are allowed to run
their own mineral resources, there is no segment
of the state that won’t be able to pay.”
Continues on page 27