Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, has allayed fears that if state police are eventually established, state governors will use them to oppress their political opponents.
After the National Economic Council meeting in Abuja on Thursday, Governor Sani briefed State House correspondents. He disclosed that 36 state governors had submitted their positions on state police establishment, and all indicated overwhelming support.
The development boosts many calls for the establishment of state police. However, there have always been concerns that state governors might misuse them in some quarters.
But speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Governor Sani said that the fear of governors misusing the state police can be corrected by the National Assembly.
“The issue of whether governors will use them (state police) against their opponents is something that can only happen if the National Assembly and those people that will craft the law gives the state police all the powers to do that,” Governor Sani said.
“The act of lawmaking is when people sit together and look at the advantages and disadvantages of some of the clauses.”
The Kaduna governor believes that if the state police had been in operation for three years now, most states in Nigeria would not have the insecurity that disrupts business activities, among other things, today.
He said that having state police will solve the problem of intelligence gathering and sharing among security operatives in the country because most people are within the communities and know the terrains better.
On the capabilities of the state governments to fund the state police, Governor Sani said that won’t be much of a problem because most governors currently budget huge amounts to support the federal police.
The governor said that the positions of the state governors on establishing state police are so critical because the National Economic Council alone cannot make that happen.
He noted that state houses of assembly have a major role to play in the process, and so it is very important to get all the states’ positions before forging ahead. This, he said, will make the process more seamless.
