The former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, today urged the Federal Government to allow state police in the country, stressing that state police is most appropriate to tackle insecurity in Nigeria.
According to a statement signed by a Special Assistant to Obasanjo on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, the former president stated this when the leadership of the National Association of Ex-Local Government Chairmen in Nigeria paid him a courtesy visit in Abeokuta.
Obasanjo noted that the creation of state police would be a better option than community policing, stressing that state police should be given a priority above community policing to curb the wave of insecurity ravaging the country.
Stressing the need to strengthen the traditional system and the local government administration, Obasanjo said, “Our situation in Nigeria concerns everyone, particularly, the case of terrorism. The case has gotten over the issue of community police. It is now state police. It is from that state police that we can now be talking about community police.”
He pointed out, “I prepared during the popular Murtala/Obasanjo administration, because I believe that there is need to enable that tier of government to work truly as a local government. They have their own Executive, Judiciary and Legislature. They were working and they were very visible, building and managing roads, looking into education, health, local administration, agriculture, but they are all gone.”
