A chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Buba Galadima, has cautioned against the creation of state police, warning that the proposed security structure could be abused for political purposes and could also threaten Nigeria’s unity.
Speaking during an interview on Arise TV on Tuesday morning,
Galadima argued that the push for state police is not primarily driven by the
need to tackle insecurity.
“Nobody ever conceived the idea of state police to sort out
security. If the Nigerian Police and the Nigerian military cannot solve
security situations in Nigeria, I wonder how the state police would be able to
do that,” he said.
He alleged that both the President and state governors were
seeking state police ahead of elections to use the outfit against political
opponents.
“All that we know is that the President and the governors
are looking for state police before the elections so that they use them as
political forces to attack the opposition, disrupt elections and kill
democracy,” Galadima said.
Drawing on historical experience, the NDC chieftain recalled
the era of the Native Authority Police in northern Nigeria, claiming it was
used to suppress opposition politicians.
“When elections approached, the Native Authority Police
would gather opposition elements in their jurisdiction and lock them up on
different allegations. That was how the system was abused,” he said.
Galadima further claimed that the misuse of the Native
Authority Police contributed to the displacement of many people from parts of
northern Nigeria.
“Most Hausa people you see across Africa and Nigeria were
expelled by the Native Authority Police in states like Kano and Katsina. They
had to run for their dear lives,” he alleged.
He also warned that state police could deepen ethnic and
religious divisions if recruitment were dominated by a single group within a
state.
“State police could be used to destroy the unity of this
country. It will create more problems, more division and more suspicion than
solutions,” he said.
The proposal for the establishment of state police has
remained a subject of national debate, with supporters arguing it would
strengthen community policing and improve security, while opponents have raised
concerns about possible political abuse and human rights violations.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com