Dr Igboke
As Nigerians grapple with insecurity in parts of the country and the ongoing debate on creation of state police, a frontline analyst, Dr Ambrose Igboke has advocated total control of proposed state police by the state governors.
Igboke, who is the Chairman of Guild of Public Affairs Analysts in Enugu State, said that was the only way the proposed police force would achieve it’s objective of securing the nation.
According to him, the Federal Government through the Inspector General of Police (IG) can continue to appoint police commissioners for the states as usual while the state police should be completely under the control of the governors.
“Allow state governors to appoint commissioners of police.
“Recent information suggesting that, in the new state police bill, the Federal Government will still have a hand in the appointment of state commissioners of police, is dangerous.
“The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) should resist it. State Police should be fully state owned, ” he said.
Igboke said that in as much as the funding of the state police rests remained the responsibility of the state governors they should be allowed to appoint commissioners of police in their respective states.
He maintained that the Federal Government has no business appointing commissioners of police in the new police structure.
He urged governor’s to call in their representatives in the national assembly to resist any law that will allow the federal government to appoint commissioners of state police, saying “otherwise we will return back to era of motion without movement. “
