State police not magic solution - experts stress need for safeguards
Former JTF commander Dr Isma'il Tanko Wudilawa and retired military analyst Capt Abdullahi Bakoji Adamu told DAILY POST that Nigeria's proposed state police is not a magic fix for insecurity. They acknowledged benefits like easier intelligence gathering and faster community response, but stressed that success hinges on proper implementation. Key concerns include sustainable funding to pay salaries, preventing politicisation, and stopping officers from being bought by politicians or criminal elements. Both experts urged that traditional leaders—ward heads, imams, pastors, elders—must be involved in recruitment to keep the force community-focused and depoliticised. Bakoji added that without independent oversight, merit-based hiring, adequate training, human-rights compliance, and strong accountability, state police could be used to intimidate opponents, suppress dissent, or undermine democracy. The state police bill has lingered since the 1990s, and its passage would only be the first step; building a professional, accountable, people-centred policing system requires continuous safeguards. Will you support state police only if independent oversight, merit-based recruitment, and sustainable funding are guaranteed before its launch?