Nigerian police is more of an enigma than a friend to an average Nigerian on the street. Corruption is not an alien phenomenon in police circle rather a very necessary evil to their survival or supplementation of their income. Nigerian police has clinched the reputation of the one of the top brackets of notorious police force in the world today. However the personnel in the force will not be entirely blamed as the so called “ruling class” have the large chunk of the blame. Like a typical Nigerian would say, “no matter how bad the police force is, we still need them around”.
Nigerian police is more of an enigma than a friend to an average Nigerian on the street. Corruption is not an alien phenomenon in police circle rather a very necessary evil to their survival or supplementation of their income. Nigerian police has clinched the reputation of the one of the top brackets of notorious police force in the world today. However the personnel in the force will not be entirely blamed as the so called “ruling class” have the large chunk of the blame. Like a typical Nigerian would say, “no matter how bad the police force is, we still need them around”.
For a long time now, there has been calls for introduction of police at the State level as it operates in the United States of America. It is a very good idea in the sense that the Federal police we have in place is not only lacking in competence but in the number of the required personnel needed to secure the populace within Nigerian territory. But before we conclude, there are things we have to look at before we are sure of what the solution we really need as far as security challenges are concerned.
Looking at it from economic point of view, how many States can even survive without Federal subventions? How many of them can afford the cost of establishing and maintaining police institution at their various states? So many of them can not even pay the new minimum wage not to talk of meaningful developmental projects. Some of these States are at the state of comatose and would have been declared bankrupt if they were to be private enterprises. Establishing Police force involves not only establishment of Police posts and arming them but also running institutions for their various levels training. Paying of salaries to active workers in different states of Nigeria is now a burden that a lot of Governors find too heavy to carry out and yet we want to add more work force to them in the name of State Police. Mrs Okonjo Iweala, the Minister of finance and chairperson economic team and to some extent the “de facto Prime Minister” of Federal Republic of Nigeria on assumption of office said that Nigeria’s current budget is not only running on deficit but that over 70% of it goes to recurrent expenditures. If we were to look into some states’ budget, I believe that the Federal government’s budget on recurrent expenditure will be “justified”.
If the introduction of State Police is granted and introduced, nobody should be in doubt to the fact that each State’s Police force will be if not 100% then over 90% indigenous composition. It is not only going to be fraught with both qualified and unqualified indigenes of each State but no non indigene in their fold will ever climb to the top no matter how good he or she may be. In 1991, Enugu State expelled all non indigenes in their civil service and Sokoto State not long ago expelled indigenes of their neighbours Kebbi and Zamfara States from their schools. Recently, Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State announced a pre-independence package for non indigenes in their civil service to go back to their various States of origin as if he has jobs opportunities he has kept for them. All these are happening in defiance of section 15(2) of the 1999 Constitution which stipulates that “Accordingly, national integration shall be actively encouraged, whilst discrimination on the grounds of place of origin, sex, religion, status, ethnic or linguistic association or ties shall be prohibited”. Nobody is unaware what ethnicity, indigene and non-indigene dichotomy has done to Jos which used to be one of the most peaceful and safest cities in Nigeria.
There is an adage that says “it is from the smell of a fart that the taste of a feces is known. Many States in Nigeria presently have some sort of unofficial “police” doing lots of undefined work ranging from traffic control to sanitation, from eradication of illegal trading to moping of major roads of abandoned, illegally parked and some times legally parked vehicles, etc. We all know the level of fraud and brutality with which these uncategorized set of people work. Some of them have even earned sobriquets owing to the manner with which they operate. For example, they are called “ndi mpiawa azu” meaning the “back lacerators” in Anambra State. Among these uncategorized people, you can hardly see a non-indigene among them in every State that have them. They are equally composed mostly of unqualified persons of questionable character. Their modus operandi is just a true picture or smell of what our State police will look like if ever introduced. It is going to be an onslaught against so called “settlers”, to intimidate and limit their constitution guaranteed rights.
Constant lock of horns between State and Federal Police will be virtually inevitable just as all these uncategorized groups constantly and violently clash with the Police and sometimes with the Army. If Nigeria introduces Police at the State level, division of duty between State and the Federal Police will be an interesting thing to follow. All the lucrative check points will then become the duty of who, the Federal or State Police? When does a crime fall within the jurisprudence of the Federal Police? Are we going to copy American style through and through. This is the 32nd year American presidential style of government was introduced in Nigeria and we want to change the tenure system that came with it. We are today crying for State Police using America as a primary reference to drive home our point. Are we really in need of Police at State level or are we simply “Americamania”? Have we seen to the optimal use of the Federal Police system we have in place or are we just fed up with the whole system? The Governors that want the introduction of Police at their various States should tell us how well they have utilized other institutions at their disposal. They have the Health, Education, Sports, and other institutions in their various States and have they taken them to proper and public beneficiary level? Nigeria is simply not in need of State Police now and may never need it anytime in future.
Obi Ebuka Onochie
Onitsha Anambra State.
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