KADUNA — Against the backdrop of calls by some states governors for the establishment of State Police Force to complement the present Nigeria Police Force,NPF, Acting Inspector General of Police, IGP, Mohammed Abubakar, yesterday, in Kaduna kicked against it, saying Nigeria was not ripe for it.

The IGP, who spoke at the Kaduna State Police Command Headquarters, after paying a courtesy visit to Governor Patrick Yakowa before holding a town hall meeting with some community leaders in the state said he was repositioning the Police to be modern and people-friendly.

According to him, “the position of the Nigeria police before now on the issue of state Police has not changed. Nigeria is not ripe enough for a state police, period! Look at what is happening in Kaduna State now. If this magnitude of crisis was left to a state police, how would it curtail it?”

Speaking earlier at Kaduna State Government House, Kaduna while visiting Gov. Yakowa, the IGP said: “The problem with Nigeria is that the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer. That kind of relationship is not good for anyone, especially the rich. The poverty level is widening. The implication is that as the poor keep getting poorer, the security of the rich is put at risk. That means that you are not secured when you drive your expensive car. You cannot sleep in peace in your mansion, when there are so many poor, hungry and angry people out there. Any society that does not guarantee food for its poor, the poor will not guarantee sleep for its rich.

“I want to call on government to do something about the endemic poverty in the country, especially employment for our teeming youths. It is an issue of serious security concern. And I believe that Governor Patrick Yakowa is already working on that.”

In response, Yakowa hailed the reform measure the Acting IGP was putting in place, and thanked him for the cooperation and assistance the Police had been rendering in Kaduna State since the crisis of April, 2011.

“I am aware of plans by the police to deploy more hands to some of our flash points in Kaduna. I want to pledge our continuous support to the police in the areas of logistics.”

At the Kaduna State Police Command, the IGP held a town hall meeting with some religious and community leaders where he exhorted them on good-neighbourliness, raising children to show respect to the laws of the land and on community policing.

He then took the Press to see some recently captured arms in Kaduna.

These include 6 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), 5 AK47 riffles, 14 dane guns, two locally made pistols, bullets, four riffle magazines, 50 specially made machetes and some bows and arrows.

Abayomin70: rubbish talk

afam4eva: Rubbish talk. If Nigeria is not ripe enough for state police then it's not ripe enough for having states or local governments.

brightmon:
we were not even ripe for independence as at 1960, thats why we in this mess.
It will be abused, period.

Billyonaire: I used to clamor for State Police, but mere reading people's mind on Nairaland, I conclude, State Police is a bad idea but its a necessary evil. Bad idea because poliitical office holders will use it to kill their extreme opponents, and its a good idea because, politicians using it to kill each other will reduce their number and weed the system of the dogs called politicians. I say we need state police, hoping its time to weed the Facrooks from the system.

Reference:

Crime is crime anywhere. If the politician kills and you can't get redress you take the case to the next level just like the judiciary.

The FBI has offices in every US territory but operates independently. As a matter of fact with both local and federal police, you have checks and balances.

hassymo5: yes we are ripe, he just want to seat in abuja and direct the whole police sytem from abuja, thats why crises will continue to erupt, Governors dont have power over security challenges of his state, so annoying

Lenny5000: He speaks the Truth! Rich getting richer poor getting poorer so how can the Rich find peace in such settings? With more employments crime will reduce drastically and no one will even be thinking of State police...Again in the present day Nigeria most of the governors will abuse it, the State police will be their personal tools to intimidate opposition or perceived enemies. Bless.

brightmon:
No, i think he has a point. It will be abused cos as he said, 9ja is not ripe 4 it yet.

ypzilanti:

My brother, Nigeria is over ripe for state police. What is needed is a fool proof system to check abuse by the governors and an ability for state police to request back up in extreme cases. [/b]Also a system to overide state police powers if the need arises. [b]We should stop this lazy approach. No one is more interested in securing their environment than the inhabitants of the place. This is why even though state police is banned, various forms of vigilante and community security groups always spring up. What is needed is a way to train these people and monitor them so they are not subject to abuse of power. Examples already abound all over the world.