The push for state police received further backing from Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, who says the initiative will strengthen the fight against insecurity by giving governors greater control over security operations in their states.
Speaking as a panellist at the Arise News Town Hall Summit on Building a National Consensus for State Police and National Security in Abuja, Lawal argued that insecurity has persisted partly because governors, despite being designated chief security officers of their states, do not control the security command structure.
The governor said state police would enable state governments to take greater responsibility for protecting lives and property while allowing citizens to hold them accountable for security outcomes.
“We’re being called chief security officers of our respective states; however, the command and control structure is not under the governors.
“I am happy with the recent development of state police because it allows us to keep to our responsibilities and for our people also to hold us accountable as far as the security situation is concerned in our respective states”, Lawal said.
He expressed confidence that state police would help address many security challenges facing the country.
While acknowledging concerns over possible abuse of state police by governors, Lawal said existing state security outfits had not been used to suppress opposition. He, however, called for safeguards to prevent misuse of the system.
“I support state police. I recognise people’s fears of possible abuse, but with the right processes in place, those fears will be allayed. strongly believe that, by the time we have state police, it will go a long way in solving a lot of the challenges, and we can then bear our names as proper chief security officers of our respective states”, he added.
The summit brought together governors, security experts, lawmakers, traditional rulers, civil society groups and other stakeholders to deliberate on state police and wider reforms aimed at improving national security.
