State Police Creation Should Not Be Rushed, Must Be Debated

A human rights lawyer Monday Ubani says the country should not rush the creation of state police but make it optional.

President Bola Tinubu and governors met on Thursday and considered the creation of state police to help in the fight against insecurity.

But Ubani has called for caution and also proffered a solution to fears of abuse by governors if state police is created.

“That’s why I’m saying that it’s not something we rush and just. All the stakeholders must permit and debate the issue. Now the Senate has considered the amendment committee of our Constitution,” he said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday.

“This is the time for this matter to be brought before the new committee in order will be set up in order to amend our constitution because you have to amend the constitution in the first place.

“And so it is the right time and I’m happy that the governors have now agreed and I’m happy that the Federal Government has also agreed. But we must be careful in getting experts to look at the law. What will make states now create state police? Those conditions must be spelled out.”

“My answer to that is that we must try as much as possible to make the law to be very robust. What do I mean by that? We must create a system in which we state what constitutes an abuse by the state agencies. If there is any likelihood of abuse in any place we have allowed for the policing system, then this and this will apply,” he maintained.

The former vice-president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) said: “We must also make it optional.

“That is very important because any state that wants to run a state policing system must have the requisite funding, make sure that we have the requisite number of police and all the things that they require in terms of kitting, welfare, and all the instruments they will use in order to ensure effective policing system in the various states will be made available.”