By Patrick Wemambu
Former Member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Nnenna Ukeje, on Thursday warned that Nigeria risks building state police on a weak foundation, insisting the country must first rebuild and strengthen the Nigeria Police Force before creating 36 new state policing institutions.
Speaking on a national television station monitored in Abuja, Ukeje said the growing pressure to establish state police reflected Nigerians’ frustration with worsening insecurity. But she cautioned against mistaking urgency for preparedness, insisting that while she supports devolving policing powers, the country must first put the right institutions in place.
“If we do not have a strong national police force, it will be difficult to build 36 effective state police forces on the foundation of a weak national police,” she stated.
Ukeje pointed out further that few Nigerians still disputed the need to devolve policing because the current centralised system was struggling to cope. The real question, she argued, was whether the country had laid the necessary groundwork before embarking on such a far-reaching reform.
“As a result, the police itself has effectively been ‘de-policed’. In many places, large numbers of police officers have been killed alongside military personnel. They have not been adequately replaced. In the South-East, where many of us come from, numerous police stations have been burnt down. Those stations have not been rebuilt,” Ukeje added.
She concluded: “I support devolution. However, I believe the immediate move towards state police must follow a clearly defined process.”
