A former Commissioner of Police in Lagos and Benue States, who currently serves as the Special Adviser on Security to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Fatai Owoseni (retd), has said that the adoption of state police, combined with what he called whole society policing, will help tackle insecurity in the country.
Owoseni, who spoke on a breakfast programme of the News Central Television monitored on Thursday, said that the new Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, has taken a good step with his inauguration of the implementation committee on state police.
He stated that many Nigerians were quick to cite examples of the United States of America, without recognising that the US adopts what is called ‘Whole Society policing’.
He said: “Models have been cited. The first thing people will say is the United States of America. Our federalism is different. A federalism that is put up through centrifugal consideration is different from the federalism that is put up through centripetal consideration. So that is why we are different.
“And the United States of America is not just about state police. They have over 1,000 or 2,000 law enforcement agencies that are integrated. What the United States operates is Whole Society Policing. So, in effect, if you have a state police and you don’t also apply all those safeguards that everyone should be involved in, we are just joking.”
He also spoke on the inauguration of the implementation committee on state police by IGP Tunji Disu, saying that the IG has done what is needed. He also said that the committee put in place was full of persons competent to advise on the matter.
He, however, stated that Nigerians must be ready to work according to obey the rule of law to make the work of the police easier. “Even if you have the state police and the rule of law is not really grounded, you are wasting your time,” he said.
He added: “So, if you have a state police and whoever that is going to be in control in the state will choose between what court order or judgment will be obeyed and which one will not be obeyed, we will continue to have this agitation. And I fear that we will still not go back to say, let us return to a centralised police.”