The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has kicked against the creation of state police for the 36 states of Nigeria, citing a lack of national capacity to support such a system.
Wike, who spoke during a media chat on Sunday, warned that the implementation of state or community police could lead to widespread autocratic governance, with state governors wielding excessive power.
This is as the idea of the creation of state police while gaining widespread attention, has received support from several governors as the solution to Nigeria’s security challenges.
Last year, the Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, announced that all 36 states had submitted reports supporting the creation of state police, a move he described as a crucial step towards enhancing security nationwide.
Wike, however, argued that the existing political and institutional frameworks in Nigeria lack the independence required to prevent abuse of power under a state policing system.
The former governor of Rivers State said,
“In Nigeria, what system do we run? Is Abuja different from Nigeria when you talk about the police? People have been recommending community policing and state police.
“Knowing where we are, and where we are from, if you allow that, so many people would not come out of their houses. If they allow state policing today, nobody would oppose any state governor. It is either you would die for murder or for armed robbery. Our institutions are not such that are independent.”
Reflecting On Past Support For State Police
Wike acknowledged that he had supported state policing during his tenure as governor but noted that his position had since evolved.
“The mere fact that I supported state police [when I was governor], if I was wrong, I was wrong. If I was right, I was right.
“What we are saying is that our institutions are not strong to be independent of manipulation by the system,” he said.
Remember that in his first term as governor of Rivers State, Wike signed a bill establishing the Neighbourhood Safety Corps, tasked with crime detection, arrest of offenders, and carrying arms in their duties.
