State police, not the way out
Based on my personal assessment of Nigeria today, state police would be disastrous and calamitous. Forming state police is tantamount to giving an open cheque to the 36 state governors to commit atrocities against their perceived nemesis.
Funny enough, these are governors that are finding it difficult to pay salaries for civil servants including teachers and health workers. The security of a state will never be the direct product of high number of police operatives; but there is correlation between security, low crime rate and good governance. If people have basic privileges of life, including job opportunities, it is possible that they would be less susceptible to criminal tendencies.
State police is equally a Pandora’s Box where tribalism, religious sentiments and ethnicity will earnestly and seriously thrive. Tribal, regional and religious killings will be order of the day. Vicious and murderous militias formed by the governors will be converted into their states police. Whatever command given to them will be implemented. Above all callous and apathetic organizations like the Biafrans (IPOB) and Odua People Congress (OPC) will carry out their barbaric and uncivilized business freely and with full impunity.
Sincerely speaking I am very pessimistic and gloomy about this issue, for it may lead to civil war in a complicated country like Nigeria where mutual suspicion is deeply entrenched. It is obvious that if a state police killed a person from a particular region, the other also will revenge. Thus it may escalate to full blown fighting.
Those who call for the establishment of state police are reclining on the fact that we had state and native authority police in the sixties after our independence, they should know that Nigeria of today is entirely different from the Nigeria of yesterday. The people of Nigeria of today are different from those of the sixties. Today we are governed by all kinds of negative sentiments, hate speeches and selfishness.
Many prefer their personal interest to that of the nation, more especially the politicians among us, for our politicians of today are dramatically in variance with the past ones. You cannot equate the former Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the rest of them with our present politicians who are highly corrupt and unpatriotic. Most of them are egocentric, individualistic and self-seeking lots. It is only very few of them that have the interest of their people in mind. One can see this clearly from our present National Assembly members. Scores of them followed PMB just to sail through, but not because they share the same principles of patriotism with him.
Example is the killings in Middle Belt. Dr. Thompson Udenwa said in his write-up- Brief perspective on the Benue State security conundrumthat, there is no part of this country that has as much number of independent militia as Benue, for it is a state with a great number of exservice men. Almost all the political bigwigs have militia. Sometimes these miscreant actors give the Fulani/ herdsmen crises religious colorations just to delude the minds of Nigerians and hide their enormity and heinous character.
But what is the way out? Some people said the police force in the country should be overhauled. Well this idea is not harmful but I feel what should be done is to recruit more policemen who should be equipped with modern gadgets and weapons. They should be paid very well and also be checked, seriously rebuked and rebuffed from taking bribe or perpetrating any kind of corruption and abnormality. The most vicious ailment bedeviling the police is bribery and corruption and unless this issue is addressed, nothing would be done to redeem the image of the police.
On July 3, one retired Assistant Commissioner of Police featured by one of the independent TV stations advocated establishment of state police under the pretext and ostensible reason of language barrier, saying that the state police will bridge because those recruited could communicate with the native easilywhat a shallow reason!
Another issue aggravating the crises in Nigeria is the complicity of the media which has already taken a position on every issue in Nigeria.
For instance, I wonder why some media in this country exaggerate about killings in Benue and other parts of the middle, setting agenda on every single issue while deliberately looking the way when there are similar killings in Zamfara and Gembu in Taraba State. Life is sacred and the media must be seen to fair and unbiased. The media should condemn all kinds of killing.
Politics is another factor aggravating the crisis in Nigeria that gave some people the impetus to make case for state police.
Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida deliberately hide under the guise of insecurity in some parts of the country to attack President Muhammadu Buhari. Has Obasanjo forgotten the cold blood killing of OPC? Has he soon forgotten the Zaki Biam massacre and Kaduna crises all under his watch?
IBB has forgotten the dreadful killing of Zangon Kataf and the crisis in Bauchi and so on. Ironically, I saw a senator on Channels TV crying over the recent killing in some parts of Plateau State, but feigned ignorance on the ignoble killings of 24 people on the way in the same Plateau State while returning from the APC convention in Abuja.
Our police are good if they are given national orientation and patriotic feelings. We must separate politics from national security. Nigerians should appreciate the efforts of President Buhari and support him to make the country safer for all of us.
The present hardship and austerity we are passing through is not handwork of PMB, for we all know the genesis. Prof. Nguru is the Director and Chief Executive of Nigeria Arabic Village.