By Abdul Kayode
A professor of constitutional law, Mojeed Alabi has cautioned the government and National Assembly to address the gray areas that make federal police inefficiency before the implementation of highly debated state police.
Alabi, who is the Provost, College of Law at the Osun State University, raised this concern while presenting a paper at a national conference organized by the Institute for Legislative Studies, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State on Thursday.
Delivering a lead paper on the conference theme “Restructuring the Policing Architecture in Nigeria: Is State Police the Optimal Solution?
The former member of the Federal House of Representatives stated “While no one can contend the fact that the security challenges facing the country require some measure of local or community involvement, which the idea of state police represents, there’s nothing to suggest that the adoption of state police simpliciter will solve the problem or that the security challenges cannot be effectively tackled by other means.
“The road to full adoption of state police is fraught with landmines that need to be successfully scaled before we can arrive at the promised land.
“Apart from the much-anticipated amendment of the Constitution, there is a need for robust legal frameworks to guide the ensuing regime.
The former speaker of Osun State House of Assembly also cautioned that, “The National Assembly must be able to put in place an Act that will properly delineate the scope of the respective jurisdictions of the federal and the state polices in order to avoid conflict of interests in the use and deployment of police forces.
“The issue of training, discipline, and control of policemen must also be taken seriously. In this sense, I suggest a Police Commission at the level of the Federation that will be responsible for the training and certification of policemen and the creation of a pool from which any units of government can recruit men and officers as may be needed. Such a Commission should also be able to discipline and discharge any erring police officers.
“Such a body will function like the National Judicial Council (NJC) mutatis mutandis with additional jurisdiction of providing professional training and certification that will ensure that anyone recruited into the police forces at any level has sufficient understanding, backed by codes of conduct, of the nature of responsibility to be discharged. Unless such a system is built, policemen operating under different control may be nothing more than armed groups for contestations arising from political, religious, ethnic, or other differences.
“The legal frameworks should state clearly the scope of the respective powers of the national and the state assemblies in making laws on policing as well as the funding sources for maintaining the policies as part of the critical structures for governance. The legal framework will need to harmonize the policing infrastructure in a manner that promotes collaboration at all levels rather than mutual acrimony and antagonism as has become commonplace in inter-agency rivalry among the security forces even under the centralized policing arrangements currently in existence.
“More importantly, the envisaged regime of policing in Nigeria must consider the human dimension of the implementation. We cannot doubt the fact that the palpable fears about state-controlled policing relate to inherent abuses that may be attendant to its practical implementation. Concerns have been raised about the tendency to use the police forces as tools for partisan considerations, which may do more harm than good to public safety. In this regard, appropriate mechanisms and guidelines must be put in place to prevent abuse of power, including but not limited to the creation of special administrative panels to monitor the conduct of police officers.
“Also, the jurisdiction of the Public Complaints Commission could be expanded to accommodate such issues while the PCC itself is adequately funded to discharge this and other constitutional responsibilities.
“The issue of state police in Nigeria is an idea which time has come, judging by the popular acclamation that attends the current initiatives of the President with the support of the Nigeria Governor’s Forum and the National Assembly. But the challenges attendant to its implementation have to be weighed against maintaining the centralized policing system currently in use with the attendant implication for public order, national security, and survival of Nigeria as a federation.” he said
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Wahab Egbewole, represented by Professor Abdulfatai Sambo, lauded the Institute for playing a key role in championing a better and more secure Nigeria said, “There is no better time to discuss this important issue than now when the nation Constitution is being altered.”
He further commended the Institute for fulfilling its mandate and projecting the University on the right path.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Director of the Institute, Professor Ibrahim Imam made known that the conference is a follow-up to the one held early last year where the Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele CON served as our guest lecturer, stated that the issue of police restructuring cannot be overstated.
“This conference is a follow-up to the one held earlier, designed to deepen the conversation and explore practical and actionable solutions to our nation’s security challenges.
“As a nation, we are struggling with security concerns that require innovative thinking and collaborative solutions. The debate surrounding state police continues to gain prominence, with proponents highlighting its potential for localized and effective policing, while critics raise concerns about abuse of power and resource allocation. Yet, this conversation must not be limited to state policing alone. There are broader systemic reforms and alternative models that warrant our attention, and this conference serves as a platform to rigorously examine these options.”
The Director also expressed appreciation to the VC and the University management for what he described as “unwavering support to the institute and commitment to nurturing meaningful dialogue and providing the resources needed for initiatives such as this is commendable and deeply appreciated.”
The conference was chaired by Hon. Seun Ogunniyi, a member of the Kwara State House of Assembly with representatives of the security agencies as participants.
