Civil society organisations have warned the federal government against treating state police as a standalone solution to Nigeria’s worsening security crisis, saying the country must also address the social and governance failures driving crime and violence.
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Africana League and Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) gave the warning at a webinar organised by CAPPA on Tuesday.
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In a statement by CAPPA Media and Communications Officer, Robert Egbe, on Wednesday, the webinar, titled “Insecurity and State Policing in Nigeria: The Way Forward,” came as the National Assembly advances the proposed constitutional amendment to allow states to establish and operate their own police services.
The House of Representatives passed the State Police Bill on 23 July, following the Senate’s earlier approval of the proposal. The amendment will, however, require the approval of at least two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly before it can become part of the Constitution.
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Speaking at the webinar, the Executive Director of RULAAC, Okechukwu Nwanguma, said insecurity should not be viewed primarily as a policing problem.
He identified poor governance, poverty, unemployment, corruption, impunity, weak institutions, communal conflicts and political exclusion as some of the factors fuelling insecurity across the country.
“Police can respond to crime, but they cannot eliminate the structural conditions that produce it. No restructuring of police institutions alone will solve Nigeria’s security crisis,” Mr Nwanguma stated.
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He explained that decentralised policing could improve responses to local security challenges but warned that state police could also reproduce existing abuses if adequate safeguards were not put in place.
Mr Nwanguma called for minimum standards for recruitment, training and discipline, as well as operational independence from partisan political control.
He also advocated independent civilian oversight, transparent complaints mechanisms, sustainable and accountable funding, and safeguards against the use of state police for electoral intimidation or the suppression of political opposition.
“Without these safeguards, decentralisation may simply transfer abuse from Abuja to the state capitals,” he said.
Mr Nwanguma urged the National Assembly to allow civil society organisations, professional bodies, traditional institutions, women, youth groups, security experts, labour organisations and other stakeholders to participate meaningfully in shaping the proposed state policing framework.
Youth participation
Contributing, the Executive Director of Africana League, Glory Ukwenga, noted that young people should have a defined role in any reform of Nigeria’s policing system.
Ms Ukwenga stated that young people were both major actors and victims of insecurity but had been largely absent from discussions on the proposed state police framework.
She called for youth representation on state police service commissions and police community relations committees, as well as the establishment of youth advisory councils on security.
She also advocated structured consultations with youth organisations and their involvement in policing oversight and performance evaluation.
‘What kind of policing do we want?’
In his remark, the Executive Director of CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said decentralised policing could make the police more responsive to local communities, but warned that Nigeria must first determine the kind of police service it wants to build.
“The fundamental issue is the philosophy behind the kind of policing we want to have in Nigeria. Do we want a police service that communities can relate with? Or do we just want to instil fear so that the elites and those in authority can exert violence on the people?” Mr Oluwafemi asked.
He noted that policing should be rooted in respect for human rights and meaningful community participation.
“The police should not be instruments of fear and intimidation. Human rights should be protected,” he said, while questioning whether state police would remain under the control of political authorities or become institutions accountable to the communities they serve.
Mr Oluwafemi also linked insecurity to the deterioration of public services and limited access to education, water, electricity, good roads and employment.
He cautioned against rushing constitutional reforms simply because of the country’s security challenges, saying Nigeria should first learn from the weaknesses of existing institutions before creating new ones.
Concerns over political abuse
The prospect of governors using state police against political opponents and critics has been one of the major concerns surrounding the proposed system.
Under the proposal, state police commissioners would be appointed by governors, subject to confirmation by their respective Houses of Assembly. Governors would also be able to issue lawful written directives of a general policy nature on matters relating to public safety and public order.
In a 26 June opinion published by PREMIUM TIMES, political scientist and development consultant Jibrin Ibrahim explained that he supported in principle police forces controlled by the federating units but was “very frightened” by the prospect of its introduction in Nigeria.
Mr Ibrahim said the worsening security situation had increased support for such police under the control of sub-national governments, which, he argued, are closer to local security challenges.
But he questioned who would determine what constitutes a security threat under the proposed system and warned that state-controlled police could worsen ethnic and religious tensions if governors used them to advance particular interests.
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The proposed framework contains safeguards intended to limit such abuses.
It provides that a state commissioner of police shall not arrest, detain, investigate or deploy force against a person, political party or group for criticising the government except in accordance with the law.
It also provides mechanisms for challenging directives considered unlawful or inconsistent with national minimum standards.
Lawyer backs state police
This newspaper had reported that a constitutional lawyer, Soliu Bakare, stated that state policing was a welcome development, although he acknowledged concerns over possible political abuse.
Mr Bakare said such concerns should not prevent Nigeria from adopting state police.
“There is no system that cannot be abused; even all the systems that we have in place now are being abused in one way or another, and state policing will not be an exception, but constitutional safeguards will reduce it to the barest minimum,” he stated.
Also, Mr Ibrahim spotlighted weaknesses in the existing Nigeria Police Force, including the concentration of resources at police headquarters and the deployment of officers for VIP protection instead of routine policing.
The CSOs argued that the success of state policing would ultimately depend on whether it improves security while preventing political interference and protecting citizens’ rights.
They urged the federal government and lawmakers to ensure that any new policing structure is professional, accountable and responsive to communities, while also addressing the poverty, unemployment, weak institutions and other conditions that continue to fuel insecurity.
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