State Police non-negotiable – Former AIG, Aisabor, says

A retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Ambrose Aisabor, has said adopting the establishment of state police in the country is non-negotiable. 

He stated that the call for state police was influenced by the failure of the federal police.

The discussion on state police was recently revived, with President Bola Tinubu and state governors supporting it. 

However, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, spoke against the establishment of state police in the country. 

While speaking at a one-day dialogue on state policing, Egbetokun said the country was not ripe for such. The police boss said the establishment of state police would exacerbate ethnic tension, leading to divided loyalty in the states (read here).

Reacting, Aisabor said the new dynamics in security have made state police imperative.

“The argument is that state governors will misuse the outfit. Is the federal government not presently misusing the federal police? So many civilized countries are practicing multilevel policing,” Aisabor told DailyTrust. 

“There are always safeguards for checks and balances. When you look at what we are having now, most of the police requirements are already being borne by the various state governments.

“Apart from salaries and allowances which the federal government is responsible for, other logistics needs of the police are being handled by governors.”