16082018 - Uproar as EFCC seeks minutes of Benue's security meetings

38—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2018
By Innocent Anaba,
Charles Kumolu,
Abdulwahab Abdulah,
Peter Duru, Gbenga
Oke, Onozure Dania,
Chioma Onuegbu
IN this concluding part of the
report which was first published
yesterday, popular human
rights lawyer, Femi Falana, continues
his enumeration of the legal
grounds for effective policing
of each state of the federation,
while Ahmed Joda, Alhaji
Abubakar Tsav, Dr Junaid Mohammed
and Monday Ubani also
had their say on the introduction
of state police in Nigeria.
7. It is doubtful if the governors are
familiar with the case of the Attorney-
General of Anambra State V Attorney-
General of the Federation (2005) 9
NWLR (Pt 932) 572wherein the
Supreme Court held that: “The
Constitution in section 215 subsection
(1) clearly gives the Governor of
Anambra State the power to issue
lawful direction to the Commissioner
of Police, Anambra State, in connection
with securing public safety and order
in the State.
“In the light of the foregoing, the
Council may wish to take advantage
of the proposed meeting to direct the
Attorneys-General of all the states of
the Federation to embark on the
immediate prosecution of the
hundreds of suspects that have been
arrested by the combined teams of the
Police and the Army for culpable
homicide, kidnapping, armed robbery
and arson which are state offences.
“Apart from this proposed meeting
I call on the governors to ensure that
the Council meets on a regular basis
to review the security situation in the
country, from time to time. The security
of the nation cannot afford to wait for
the planned establishment of State
Police.”
We should be cautious, thoroughly
discuss the issue—Ahmed Joda
Writing last week in response to a
statement in support of the state police
initiative credited to Senator Ben
Murray Bruce in a national daily,
elder statesman, Ahmed Joda, had
called for caution in adopting state
police in Nigeria. With the benefit of
hindsight, he had informed thus: “I
am old enough to have experienced
what life was like with state or local
police in this country. I also am one
of those who took keen interest in
police and policing. In 1966, after our
first military coup, I worked with a
group of civil servants in the Northern
MOUNTING INSECURITY, HELPLESS GOVERNORS:
State Police to the rescue? (2)
Civil Service in an initiative to abolish the Native
Authority Police, then under the effective control
of the Regional Government. We were
driven by our common concern of the massive
abuse of the Native Authority Police.”
With regards to the present he had this to
say: “We are a nation made of many nationalities,
cultures, religions and traditions, each with different
ways of viewing issues, issues that we
must reconcile for our common good. I am persuaded
that we need to decentralise our policing
system. How we do so is the question to which
we must give full and most urgent attention.
We must not rush to create state police forces
Unless we carefully
work out how to create
and properly finance
good professional and
efficient policing systems,
we should not
take the plunge
and think that we have resolved anything. Policing
and security will not come cheap. It will
cost a lot of money. I suspect that the reason
that the Nigeria Police that we have is so bad, is
because their funding is very poor; corruption
is deep and much of the funds appropriated for
the Force do not go into real policing duties but
into the pockets of individuals at various levels.
Their barrack accommodation is primitive or
absent.
“In the Colonial period, Police Barracks
around Nigeria were the choicest living environments.
No more. Police Clubs and recreation
facilities so necessary for the moral and
proper discipline of the men have long disappeared.
While some Governors complain that
they cannot discharge their security duties just
because they do not have their own police; every
Nigerian who cares knows well enough that
the Commissioners of Police in their states are
in the pockets of their respective Governors who
dole out pocket monies to the senior hierarchy.
Nigerians and foreigners alike also know only
too well that our Police cannot stop banditry.
“Unless we carefully work out how to create
and properly finance good professional and efficient
policing systems, we should not take the
plunge.
Let us recognise that this is not a short-term
undertaking. Let us give ourselves time to fully
discuss this issue and to arrive at a National Consensus.”
Nigeria is not ripe for state police
— Police Commissioner, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav
“My argument against state police remains the same. It
has not changed. We are not ripe for state police. We have
not developed to the level where state police will not be
abused by politicians, especially the governors. Our people
are wicked and will use state police against themselves.
I served the Nigeria Police for 36 years and I know what
is required for the police to be strengthened. The police
should be reformed through the employment of more
hands and provision of modern policing equipment.”
It will become weapons in the hands of politicians
— Dr. Junaid Mohammed
“I have never been an advocate of state police because
I believe strongly that Nigeria is immature for it. There
are many politicians who will use their positions to their
own advantage if they have the power to control the police.
“Though people will give examples that state police
works well in places like Canada or United States of
America, I agree but their own system is mature for it.
When Nigeria operates at the same level of their democracy
and we can properly finance it, then we can be talking
about state police. Imagine states that are struggling to
pay teachers salaries will now pay state police; that is a
huge joke. I have never believed in it and I don’t think it
will help our present security situation.”
State police is the way to go
— Mr. Monday Ubani, NBA Second Vice President
“There is nothing that is not feasible. It is just to have
the mindset and the political will to do the right thing.
Providing the necessary things needed to guard against
abuse should be done. We have been operating
centralised police system over the years and we have
discovered that it is not helping us.
“The Commissioner of Police in a state needs to get an
order from the Inspector General of Police before he
performs his responsibilities in a state where he works,
that is wrong. The argument has always been that the
governors will abuse it. In that case, we should become
conscious of those we elect as governors.
“Those, who understand that powers are to be used for
the advancement of the society, should be elected. People,
who are likely to abuse the system, should not be elected
as governors. When we have state police, we should
provide those things needed to guard against abuse. It is
not compulsory for every state to have state police.
“Only those who are willing and have the resources
can introduce it. But those without capacity should not
introduce it. The modalities for it should be worked out
because we are not enjoying security in this country.
Having state police is the way to go. Let there be a
federal agency that will monitor the excesses of the
governors who are likely to use state police for
personal purposes.”
Concluded