State Police Solution To Nig’s Security Crisis – GEJ

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has advocated the establishment of State police as the ultimate solution to Nigeria’s security crisis.

He made the call in Abuja at a one day dialogue on the establishment of State police organized by the House of Representives with the theme “Pathways to Peace’: Reimagining Policing in Nigeria”

According to him, the issue of state police is no longer negotiable, pointing out that there was no way the state could have adequate security without state police.

The Former President who explained further that the 2014 National Conference set up during his administration supported the creation of state police noted that the country could not afford to toy with the idea of state police any longer.

“We must not waste our time debating whether we should have state police or not, we should concentrate on how to check abuses by state political actors.

“The key area that we need to debate is how we will run the state police to secure the security architecture of the country so that it is most effective and devoid of any political influence,” Jonathan said.

The Former President stressed the need for comprehensive implementation of state police, alongside advocating a revamp of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

This is also as he emphasized that the state police must not be used against or to the advantage of any political party.

“If we are talking of state police, we must also rejig the Independent National Electoral Commission, so that the state police would not be used to favor the ruling party,” he said.

He said with state police, kidnapping and other criminalities would be reduced to the barest minimum.

“We have not been able to control the issue of kidnapping since it started, and we need to reduce it to the barest minimum,” he said.

Oduyemi Odumade, Edited By Grace Namiji