Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has said Nigeria is not yet ripe for state police.
Egbetokun said this at a national dialogue, themed, ‘Pathways to Peace: Reimagining Policing in Nigeria,’ organised by the House of Representatives in Abuja, on Monday.
The IGP, who was represented by an Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Ben Okolo, said the leadership of the force ha taken a stand that Nigeria is not ready for the establishment of state police.
“It is the submission of the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force that Nigeria is yet to mature and ready for the establishment of state-controlled police,” he said.
Egbetokun also proposed that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) should be merged to become a department under the police.
“In view of this, the police leadership rather is recommending the following instead of creating state police.
“First, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Safety Corps to form a department under the Nigerian police,” the police boss said.
He addes that recruitment of personnel into the force should be increased by at least 30,000 annually to meet the minimum policing standard of the United Nations.
