…Says State Govs. likely to abuse privilege
Inspector-General of Police, (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has stated that Nigeria, as a country, is not ripe for State Police.
Represented by AIG Ben Okolo during a one-day dialogue on State policing, the IGP warned that the establishment of State Police will execerbate ethnic tension across the country and could create divided loyalties in the States.
Egbetokun also stated that the establishment of State Police will also lead to multiple Command structures in the States.
He also said that State governors are likely to abuse the privilege of State Police by using it for political gains, leading to possible abuse of power and abuse of human rights.
He argued that the State government lack thereof the required funding that will give birth to the type of policing that the nation requires.
Rather than estabalisibg State Police, he recommended the merging of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC), and the Federal Road Safety Commission, (FRSC), to form a department in the Nigeria Police Force.
He also said there is the need for a yearly recruitment of about 30,000 Police personnel into the Force annually, in order to meet the UN requirements for modern policing, while also increasing annual budgetary allocation to the Force.
