Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi, says Nigeria is not mature
enough for state governments to have control of the police.
Bello said governors can be “ruthless and reckless” if given
such power.
In recent years, governors and key stakeholders have been at
the forefront of the clamour for state policing.
Last year, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, said the
resources expended on security could be used to fund state police.
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo had also argued that a
multi-ethnic nation like Nigeria needs state police to address its security
challenges.
At a panel discussion organised by the Nigeria Governors’
Forum (NGF) in March, Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti, said the police get
more funding from states than from the federal government, hence governors
should have control over security in their domains.
Reacting to this, Bello said combating insecurity is best
done through collaboration between the people, state governments and federal
government.
He noted that Nigeria is not ripe to accord governors with
the power to control the police.
“The issue of state police, I’m afraid I don’t think I will
support it wholeheartedly for now because we have not really matured
politically to be able to maintain state police,” he said.
“Some of us can be very reckless or ruthless when it comes
to use of state apparatus.
“But support systems and collaborations in the form of
intelligence sharing and pointing out loopholes or areas that need improvement
will solve the problem.”
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Lies from the pit of hell. Over 60years, Nigeria is still not matured for state police. Yahaya bello is being insensitive.
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