Nigeria’s inspector-general (IG) of police, Kayode Egbetokun, says the country is “not mature” for state police.
Egbetokun said this at a national dialogue on state police organized by the house of representatives in Abuja, on Monday, 22 April, 2024.
The theme of the dialogue is ‘pathways to peace: reimagining policing in Nigeria”.
The IGP, who was represented by Ben Okolo, an assistant inspector-general of police, said the leadership of the force has resolved that the country is not ripe for that.
“There have been renewed calls for the establishment of state police following an uptick in kidnappings, banditry and violent attacks across the country. It is the submission of the leadership of the nigeria police force that nigeria is yet to mature for the establishment of state-controlled police,” he said.
The IGP gave a laundry list of the challenges facing the force and said resources should be channeled towards addressing those issues instead of focusing on state police, a venture, he argued, is open to abuse by state governors.
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 in the police.
He said the recruitment of police personnel into the force should be increased by at least 30,000 annually to meet the minimum policing standard of the United Nations.
