Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has called for the establishment of State Police, saying that there are not enough police officers in the country.
Mr El-Rufai made the call on Wednesday during the presentation of the state’s 2020 Annual Security Report, held at the Government House, Kaduna.
According to him, the existing centralised policing system is inadequate, insisting that the arrangement should be replaced with state police and other levels of policing.
He said: “In our view, critical to multiplying and reinforcing state power is a decentralization of policing.
“There simply are not enough police officers in Nigeria and the idea of policing such a vast, federal republic of nearly a million square kilometers in a unitary manner is not pragmatic.
“This arrangement has already proven inadequate and we should promptly replace it with state police and other levels of policing.
“I want to commend and thank our own son of Kaduna State, Distinguished Senator Uba Sani for introducing four bills in the 9th Senate to amend the Constitution and related statutes to enable the establishment of State Police to complement the efforts of the Nigeria Police.
“I seize this opportunity to urge the leadership and membership of the two chambers of the National Assembly to expeditiously enact these bills into law which contain adequate regulatory standards and safeguards to enable State and Community Policing throughout Nigeria, without any fear of abuse.”
The governor restated his resolve not to negotiate with bandits, nor support any granting of amnesty to the criminals terrorising his state.
Mr El-Rufai stressed that bandits, cattle rustlers and armed militias must be degraded and decimated “to a state of unconditional submission to constituted authority”.
According to him, these criminals must be wiped out immediately and without hesitation.
He said: “Our position in Kaduna State has been clear, unequivocal and consistent. Bandits, cattle rustlers and armed militias must be degraded and decimated to a state of unconditional submission to constituted authority.
“We will neither negotiate with criminals of any description nor support any grant of amnesty.
“Criminal gangs, bandits, insurgents and ethno-religious militias made a conscious choice to challenge Nigeria’s sovereignty and menace our citizens. These criminals must be wiped out immediately and without hesitation.”
