Insecurity: Tambuwal’s Renewed Call For State Police Raises Fresh Hope

BY SEGUN ADEBAYO, ABUJA – Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State at the weekend renewed his call for the establishment of state police as a panacea in order to tackle the growing menace of insecurity in the country.
Speaking at the opening of the National Executive Council meeting of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Sokoto state on Saturday, Tambuwal noted that the current security situation leading to the incessant killings across the country, clearly shows that those calling for state police were justified.
In apparent reaction to the killings in various parts of Nigeria, particularly the recent massacre of no fewer than 200 persons in Plateau State by suspected herdsmen, the governor said, “Whether we like it or not, there is seeming justification for state police and there is seeming justification for state governments to have some measures of control over security personnel.”
While stressing the need for state governors to be allowed some measures of control of security personnel in their respective states, he lamented that despite being called chief security officers of their various states, the governors currently lack control over the police personnel posted to their states who take orders from the Inspector-General.
To buttress his point, Tambuwal said as a sitting governor, “you call police Commissioner and that call is ignored, (which) is unfortunate and unacceptable.”
The first time Governor Tambuwal spoke in support of state police in Nigeria was in 2015 when he received the then Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase who paid him a courtesy visit in Sokoto. On that occasion, he suggested that to effectively provide adequate security to its teeming population, Nigeria should decentralise its police force and allow state police.
Tambuwal recalled that while serving as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2011 to May 2015, the legislature had supported the move even though the exercise has not seen the light of the day.
“I believe it is time we reopen the debate considering the huge security challenges confronting the federation and how local expertise, if properly deployed, can be of great help to securing our communities,” the governor added.
Tambuwal’s renewed came barely four months after Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN agreed in February this year that adoption of state police was the way to go in meeting security needs of the country.
“State police and other policing methods are clearly the way to go,’’ Osinbajo had declared in his presentation at a National Security Summit organized by the National Assembly in Abuja, arguing that “We cannot realistically police a country the size of Nigeria (with over 900,000 square Kilometres and 180 million people) centrally from Abuja.’’
Similarly, a recent survey conducted by an organisation known as NOIPolls showed that in spite of resistance against its formation by a segment of the country, the proposed creation of state police has enjoyed the support and approval of over 61 percent of Nigerians.
According to Chief Executive Officer, NOIPolls, Dr. Bell Ihua, the surprisingly boost received by the state police proposal shortly may have followed the blessings of Vice President Osinbajo and 36 state governors.
“It is worth noting that the North-West (69 percent), the North-East (68 percent) and the North-Central (65 percent) zones accounted for the largest proportion of Nigerians who showed their support for the creation of state police. “This is not surprising as these regions have had a fair share of security challenges. For instance, the high occurrence of cattle rustling in the North-West, Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, and the farmers and herders’ clashes in the North-Central have continued to pose serious security challenges to the inhabitants of these regions; not to mention the loss of lives and properties as well as displacement of people”, Ihua said.