Former lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has kicked against the plans of the Federal Government to establish state police in the country, News About Nigeria reports.
The Senator expressed his displeasure with the idea known in his verified X handle, stating that the idea of state police in the country remains an illusion that will not materialise.
He noted that the establishment of state police would be disastrous as state governors would use them as they please, especially as thugs to disrupt the peace during elections in the states.
“The state police will be used by the governors to persecute the opposition, to harass ‘non-indigenes’, to rig elections, and to counter the federal police in cases of conflict of interest between the federal government and the state,” he said.
He further stated that most people in the states will also be recruited into the police force to enable them to carry out illegal activities without suspicion and questioning.
Recall that the Federal Government had recently expressed its openness about the likelihood of embracing state police.
The development followed an emergency meeting between President Bola Tinubu and state governors at the Aso Rock Villa.
The meeting was a sequel to the recent hike in food prices, economic hardship, and pockets of insecurity recorded nationwide.
The social critic also expressed his fears that the state police will be an armed wing of the ruling party of each state, as each governor will seek to recruit their supporters to the police force, and the force will be at the mercy of each incumbent administration.
