Ex-AIG Says State Police Non-negotiable

A retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Ambrose Aisabor, has said adopting state police is non-negotiable.

According to him, the clamour for state police raged over the failure of the federal police.

The discussion on state police has been revived recently with President Bola Tinubu and state governors supporting it.

Aisabor in a chat with our correspondent yesterday, said the new dynamics in security have made state police imperative.

He said, “The argument is that state governors will misuse the outfit. Is the federal government not presently misusing the federal police? So many civilized countries are practicing multilevel policing. There are always safeguards for checks and balances. When you look at what we are having now, most of the police requirements are already being borne by the various state governments.

“Apart from salaries and allowances which the federal government is responsible for, other logistics needs of the police are being handled by governors.”

A first-class traditional ruler in Ogun State, the Eselu of Iselu kingdom, Oba Akintunde Akinyemi, has rejected the call for the establishment of state police, saying the country was not ripe for a decentralised policing system.

Oba Akinyemi expressed fear that the state governors may hijack the apparatus of state police to intimidate and victimise members of the opposition parties in their states.

Oba Akinyemi spoke in an interview with journalists on the sideline of his birthday ceremony, held in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.

The traditional ruler argued that if the existing police force is well equipped, funded and motivated, it will be better positioned to fight insecurity and other criminal activities confronting the country.

Daily Trust