Dons Eze
36 STATE ASSEMBLY SPEAKERS BACK STATE POLICE
Thirty-six State Houses of Assembly speakers in Nigeria have reportedly approved the National Assembly’s current efforts to include state policing in the country’s constitution.
The resolution was reached at the conclusion of their meeting in Abuja.
The National Assembly is in the process of amending certain sections of the 1999 constitution, but the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, was reported to have opposed the establishment of state Police.
Egbetokun had made his views known through an Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Ben Okolo, who represented him at event in Abuja.
But Okolo later repudiated the report, and said that his comments at the National Dialogue on State Police in Abuja were his personal views.
Okolo, who had expressively said that he was representing the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun at the event, said the country was not mature enough for state police despite Nigeria’s myriad of security challenges.
He also had suggested that the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) should become departments under the Force.
Following this development, his comments angered many Nigerians, who said the rising insecurity in the country demands urgent attention.
Speaking at a briefing at the Force Headquarters on Tuesday, Okolo retracted his comments and clarified some points.
The police officer said his statement that “Nigeria is not ready for a decentralised police force” was a personal view and did not reflect the police force’s stance.According to Okolo, the comments were not that of the IGP and the Nigeria Police Force, adding that the position of the Force will soon be made known.
