Police protest, a national shame

It is shameful that policemen in Nigeria had to protest over unpaid allowances for about five to seven months.  This is unacceptable and police authorities should be proactive in pursuit of the welfare of their personnel who are under great strain, with the innumerable conflict points across the country. In the meantime, I condole with […]

It is shameful that policemen in Nigeria had to protest over unpaid allowances for about five to seven months.  This is unacceptable and police authorities should be proactive in pursuit of the welfare of their personnel who are under great strain, with the innumerable conflict points across the country. In the meantime, I condole with the Police Force over the recent loss suffered in the dastardly attack on a police check-point in Abuja. 

In a broader context, the flurry of calls for the establishment of state police reveals a situation whereby authorities are at their wits’ end on how to tackle the various conflicts plaguing Nigeria today.  Many see state police/ community policing, as the solution. No thought seems to be given to the current staffing of the Nigeria police and the almost certain evolutionary route state police will take.  A cursory look at police personnel deployment will reveal that indigenes constitute the majority of police posted to each state, but it has not resulted in more effective policing as is being propagated. 

Nigeria today is badly fractured with ethnic and religious bigots driving a narrative of distrust and hatred. State police will empower these groups to no end. It’s easy to visualise the future of state police under the circumstances  – they will become ethnic militias. The way to go is to institutionalise the preponderance of indigenes in each state police command and vest in the governors, as Chief Security Officers, greater control over the forces in the maintenance of law and order. 

 M T Usman aboumahmud can be reached at:[email protected]