Policing in Nigeria must be devolved

Research has shown that non-state actors make 75 percent of security provisioning in Nigeria. Also the federated states and private sector combined fund Nigeria’s centralised defence and security architecture by over 50 percent of budgetary investment of the federal government’s constitutional monopoly of the sector, despite security being in the ‘Exclusive List’, but with most […]

Research has shown that non-state actors make 75 percent of security provisioning in Nigeria. Also the federated states and private sector combined fund Nigeria’s centralised defence and security architecture by over 50 percent of budgetary investment of the federal government’s constitutional monopoly of the sector, despite security being in the ‘Exclusive List’, but with most dismal and appalling results.

The woeful state of security across the nation speaks for itself. No part of Nigeria is better than the other. Research has further shown that up to 80 percent of federal government’s security resources are committed to the security and safety of the few elite, and mostly deployed in urban communities. Rural criminality has not only become widespread, but has become an extreme violent enterprise manifesting in rural banditry, kidnapping for ransom, cattle rustling, including ethnic clashes.

As much as the human rights and legal procedural practices of the vigilante and other community armed self-help groups have left much to be desired, the semblance of stability that Nigeria enjoys today is as a result of the huge financial and material investment of the federated state governments, private business organizations (particularly the international ones) and local communities. Both the FG and state governments are in undeclared agreements that they cannot provide total, comprehensive and sustainable security for citizens. Therefore, the acceptance and formalization of various non-state groups at either national, state and local levels is essential. And tangentially, recommending them to be registered and ‘supervised by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps’ (Civil Defence);  an organization itself whose roles and responsibility requires more national discourse and redefinition from what the Nigeria Police is really about.

The weakened circumstance of the federal police is the very reason why even the Nigerian Armed Forces are drafted massively to provide internal security—a responsibility they are not designed for, constitutionally not assigned to, doctrinally not shaped for, and operationally and tactical not equipped for.

So why are they dabbling into it in the name of their second role of ‘aid to civil authority’ which has even worsened than remedied the increasing and festering security challenges.

The overuse of the military actually militarises the society. The law enforcement agencies, aside distracting them from the protracted insurgency in the North East, that needs their concerted and undivided attention. I submit that Nigeria must accept the long known reality that ‘policing’ in Nigeria ‘must’ be devolved. Just like the Hisbah and other various states’ road traffic and health/sanitation enforcement Agencies, CJTF, Nigerian Vigilante Association, OPC, Egbesu Boys, etc.

The time has come to work at legalizing rather than the posturing around political and legal supremacy of a verbal criminalization of an inevitable regional effort at security provisioning, such as the south western Nigeria with the Amotekun has thrown up.

Nigeria, particularly the central government, needs to recognize and accept that time has moved and the present throws up the need to recognize and formalize the increasing effort to self-help policing by states, local governments, communities and even individuals, who are hiring and arming personal guards. Considering, we cannot afford for people to arm and provide security by themselves with the attendant abuses and even threats to national security this will present, as such situation fundamentally questions and challenges the whole purpose of government. It will be better for government to lead the process by owning the reality of the need.

 

Brig. Gen. Saleh Bala, (rtd), a defence and security consultant, scholar and president of White Ink Institute for Strategy Education and Research.