Femi Falana Nigerian foremost lawyer and human rights activist, Femi Falana has lamented that the state governors may bastardize the importance of establishing State Police in the country.
He stated this while featured on a Channel television program, speaking on various issues that affect the nation.
Speaking on the proposed establishment of state police in Nigeria, Falana feared the possibility of using the security agency against members of the opposition parties by the sitting Governors. He, however, suggested the country should devise a means to stop the governors from mismanaging the affairs of the state police even though he testified to the necessity for the creation of the state police.
He said, “Unfortunately, our governors have allowed the Nigeria Police Force to become the Federal Government Police Force hence the demand for state police.
“Under Section 216 of the Constitution, the President of the Republic cannot appoint or remove an Inspector General of Police without consulting the Nigeria Police Council.
“In that 39-member body, 36 of them are chief executives of states. It’s a council where the members should discuss the number of police personnel should be in every state, how the police should be funded, and how the police should be managed and administered. But what has happened?
“We must go back to the provisions of the Constitution. It’s not unusual in a federation to have federal government police and state police but again, we have to go back to the drawing table and finetune our policies before we have state police. We must assure our people.
“There are governors in Nigeria that will turn state police into an instrument of oppression because even right now, the federal police is turned into an instrument of oppression. So, we must agree that in a Federation, every tier of government, every federating unit should be able to enforce its laws, with its security apparatus but you must guarantee that there will be no intimidation or oppression of political opponents, either by the federal government police, state police or even local government police.
“Right now, we deceive ourselves, we already have decentralization of police; every community, every estate all have their private security arrangement, and the majority of them are armed.”
Category: World-News
Tag: Governors May Turn State Police To Instrument of Oppression Falana Laments
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Published 4/5/2024 6:36:17 PM