Akeredolu, Ganduje Stresses Need for State Police

Akinwale Akintunde

Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu and his Kano State counterpart, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, have restated the call for the creation of state police, saying it will help improve security in Nigeria.

The governors who spoke in Lagos wednesday, at a plenary session tagged ‘Governors’ Forum’ of the ongoing 2017 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), said the police Command structure was too centralised.
The theme for this year’s conference is ‘African Business: Penetrating Through Institution Building.’

The governors said the appellation given to them as chief security officers of their states was a mere expression as the states’ Commissioner of Police would not take instructions from them except from Inspector General of Police.
According to Akereodulu, Nigeria cannot afford to be under one command of police.

He said the call for the creation of state police is not just for the fun of it but very fundamental.
“We cannot afford to be under one Command of Police. We are not just talking of the creation of state police for the fun of it. But it is very fundamental to the security of the country,” Akeredolu said.

For Ganduje, governors are looking for the control of police in the states for a better security.

He said despite that the police is presently not under their control, they are doing so much as governors in their various states by providing them all the necessary equipment for effective policing.

“Even right now, we do everything to fund the police in our various states. We provide them with vehicles and other tools to ensure adequate security in the state.

“With the kind of support we are giving presently, if the police is being control by the state, the security situation in the country will improve a lot better,” he noted.
Gadunje further noted that insecurity was no respecter of anybody and that prevention of crime should be a collective efforts of both states and federal government.

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