Police Independence From Political Control, Difficult Owing To Constitutional Provisions – AIG Ajani
The Outgoing and retiring Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone XI comprising Oyo and Osun States, AIG Babatunde Ajani, has said given the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, the needed independence of the Nigeria Police from political influence and control would be difficult to achieve.
Ajani, who is retiring after 33 years of service in the police, expressed regret that politics has taken over policing even as he warned that if the situation is not checked, it has the potential of eroding effective operations of the police in the country.
The retiring AIG, who stated these at a farewell retirement even organized in his honour on Tuesday in Osogbo, said; “policing and politics can be uneasy bed fellows, perhaps best kept at a respectful distance from each other.
“With the present constitutional provisions, the idea of operational independence from political control is not attainable.
“As a police officer, you may promise to serve without fear or favour but it is very difficult to stay out of politics. Politics has increasingly got stuck into policing and if we are not careful, politics can get into the way of policing.” he stressed.
The retiring AIG therefore called on members of the public to assist the police, saying that the work policemen is becoming overwhelming due to rising population and crimes, even in the face of dwindling police strength.
In his words: “I have been privileged to work with extraordinary people of courage and compassion, of heroism and humanity, of bravery and brilliance, of determination and that precious old-fashioned thing called duty.
“But crime is rising; population is increasing, officers’ numbers are falling, meaning that we need your help and support more than ever before.
“Although you demand high expectations from us, you also need to understand the incredible pressures we now face. The truth is that we will always do our job better when we do it side-by-side with you,” he said.
