IGP Opposes Creation of State Police

By Linda Ike

The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun has kicked against the move to introduce state policing in Nigeria , saying it is unnecessary as Nigeria is yet to mature for such.

He stated this at a one-day dialogue on State Policing, organised by the House of Representatives in Abuja, on Monday.

Egbetokun who was represented by the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Ben Okolo, advocated that Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) should be merged as a Department under the Nigeria Police Force .

He said if state police is established, governors will use the structure to intimidate their political opponents and undermine human rights and security.

He further recommended that the yearly police recruitment should be increased by at least 30,000 to meet the United Nations (UN) ratio.

The IGP also called for increased budgetary allocations to the Nigerian Police for effective training of personnel in modern policing to enhance efficiency and amendment of the 1999 Constitution for more empowerment and funding of police which is the lead internal security agency.

He said the police at the moment was underfunded with poor barracks facilities and inadequate training institutions, saying better funding will help the police address some of the current security challenges.