Governors set up committee to consider state police

Those agitating for state police may soon have their wish — the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) has set up a committee to look into the possibility.

Nigeria currently operates a police force under the sole control of the federal government in all matters — from recruitment, discipline and promotions to finance and operations.

There has been a campaign for restructuring Nigeria, with the creation of state-controlled police as part of the demands.

The committee is also to look into funding for the Nigeria Police Force.

It is headed by the governor of Kwara, Abdulfatah Ahmed, with the governors of Imo, Delta, Ekiti, Bauchi and Sokoto as members.

This was part of the decisions of the NGF on Thursday at a four-hour meeting attended by the inspector general of police, Ibrahim Idris.

NGF chairman and governor of Zamfara state, said:  “We discussed and we received presentation from the inspector general of police. He made a presentation to us canvassing for support to introduce media outfits, radio and television, for the force and as well as for the police to go technologically from the manual ways of doing things.

“They (police) are having so many difficulties in funding which we have agreed that with the way things are going through the budgeting process, we cannot be able to fund police.

“So, the IG made us to know that there is a kind of trust fund bill which is before the national assembly and asked for our support.”

Yari said there were several options on the idea of state police which the committee will look into.

“There is the issue of the kind of state police which is being discussed and we coming with so many options which we are expecting the committee will do the and find safe way of policing in Nigeria,” he said.