Suleiman Abba, a former
inspector-general of police, says not all states can afford to maintain state
police.
He said there was nothing wrong
in establishing state police when such states could maintain them, adding that
police all over the world was expensive.
Abba said it was only Lagos that
had shown signs of operating a state police, and not some other states who
could not even pay teachers’ salaries.
“There is nothing wrong in states
establishing their own police, but we must know that the police is expensive to
maintain,” he said.
“The Lagos state government to
some extent is prepared to sponsor the police in its state if they are handed
over to it.
“Many other states agitating for
state police are not in position to provide for such now because some of them
cannot even now effectively pay the salaries of their teachers.”
Abba told NAN in Lagos that
“remuneration is not a major problem of the Nigerian Police today. One of the
major problems of the police is getting the trust of the public, so that they
can work together in fighting the common enemy, which is crime.
“As the largest Police Force in
Africa, remuneration should not be used in assessing the welfare of the
Nigerian Police.
“Take care of their fall-back
positions when they retire; take care of their children’s education, take care
of their accommodation while in service and after service”.
Abba said it was imperative for
someone who was or had been engaged in crime prevention, like the police, to
work in service and retire with confidence and empowerment.
The former IGP said the necessary
equipment, benefits and work conditions should be given to men and women of the
Nigerian police, as was being done in other parts of the world.
Abba, who maintained that the
current salaries of the Nigerian police could not provide their needs, said the
provision of their additional needs would make them
more efficient.
Abba worked in various capacities
in the police force. He served as commissioner of police in Lagos and Rivers
states and was a one-time AIG in charge of Zone 7, Abuja.
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