The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has raised concerns over the establishment of state police in the country, News About Nigeria reports.
He expressed his concerns while speaking at the one-day national dialogue on state police organised by the House of Representatives in Abuja on Monday.
Egbetokun, who was represented by Ben Okolo, an assistant Inspector-General of Police, opined that Nigeria is not ready for a decentralised police force.
He faulted the bill seeking to establish state police in the country.
The IGP said that rather than creating state police, the challenges mitigating effective policing in Nigeria should be addressed.
According to him, reforming the police force is of greater benefit and will be more effective than creating state police.
“It is the submission of the leadership of the Nigeria police force that Nigeria is yet to mature for the establishment of state-controlled police.” He stated.
Buttressing his point, the IGP noted that there has been an uprise in kidnappings, banditry, and violent attacks across the country, which he added have been the cause for the insistence on the creation of a state police.
He, however, stated that challenges such as inadequate manpower, vehicles, arms and ammunition, communication equipment, drones, aerial surveillance cameras, and inadequate training of personnel, have impacted negatively on the performance of police personnel.
He added that the state police team is also prone to be abused by State Governors, maintaining that there is the potential for abuse of power by the state political leadership.
“State governors could use the police force under their control for political or personal gain and compromise human rights and security,” he added.
