Governors ‘will use state police to kill opposition’

Fatai Ibu-Owo, chairman of the Lagos chapter of the National Conscience Party (NCP), has expressed opposition to the creation of state police.

In an interview on Saturday, Ib-Owu said Nigeria is not politically ready for such concept, due to the “desperation of politicians”.

He also said state policing would not solve the security problems in the country.

“We at NCP are opposed to the idea because the country is not ripe for such, especially in a country where politicians can be desperate,” he said.

“We believe that if states are allowed to have their own police, politicians would manipulate them to fight or crush the opposition, rather than fight security challenges. Just like governors are using the state electoral commissions to achieve their political whims and caprices in their respective states.”

Ibu-Owo said in a situation where people still identify with tribes rather than the country, state police would “kill national unity”.

“State police is not good for a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural country like Nigeria. They could be used to dangerously settle ethnic scores, and this is not good for the unity of the country,” he said.

Ibu-Owo suggested that the way forward is for the government to strengthen the police by providing it with the wherewithal to deal with the country’s challenges.

He blamed unemployment and poverty, especially among the youth for the rising insecurity.