Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Defence, Yusuf Gagdi, has opposed the creation of state police, warning that Nigeria’s governors cannot be trusted with the control of policing in the states.
The lawmaker, a member of All Progressives Congress (APC), representing Pankshin/Kanke/ Kanam Federal Constituency of Plateau State, spoke against proposals to create state police as part of the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Gagdi argued that handing over control of policing to state executives would only deepen insecurity.
According to him governors should not be entrusted with the authority to arm and control police formations.
Instead, the Plateau lawmaker threw his weight behind community policing, which he described as a safer and more effective alternative If adequately funded.
Gagdi says the governors’ handling of State Independent Electoral Commission (SIECs) proves they can’t be trusted with state police.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and several governors have backed the idea, saying state Police could help combat Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, including kidnappings, banditry, and other violent crimes.
Tinubu said earlier this month “I am reviewing all aspects of security, I have to create state police. We are looking at that holistically”.
-9News Nigeria.
