By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, yesterday lamented the dysfunctionality of the Nigeria Police, saying it was not properly established to succeed in its constitutional mandates.
Bamidele, according to a statement by his Media Office, made the declaration amidst the increasing demand for an efficient and responsive police system as insecurity remained a major challenge in the country.
The Senate leader, who is also the vice chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, stated this at a lecture series jointly organised by the Department of Political Science and Institute of Legislative Studies, University of Ilorin, Kwara State.
He further observed that any police structure that did not reflect Nigeria’s federal realities would not effectively address the roots of security challenges facing the federation.
The lecture, titled, “Constitutional Amendment and the Political Dynamics of State Police in Nigeria,” was chaired by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau, who was represented on the occasion by the Deputy Leader of the Senate, Senator Oyelola Ashiru.
At the lecture were the Chairman, Senate Chairman on Agriculture, Senator Saliu Mustapha; Chairman of Senate Committee on Trade and Investment, Senator Sadiq Umar; Vice Chairman of Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Senator Akintunde Yunus; Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Prof Wahab Egbewole (SAN), and Director-General, National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, Prof Abubakar Suleiman.
Also, the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Salihu; Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Adeoye Aribasoye, and other lawmakers were in attendance.
Bamidele dissected diverse socio-economic and political forces responsible for the dysfunctionality of the Nigeria Police and reeled out antidotes to the problems of policing in Nigeria.
He warned against the incessant deployment of the armed forces without compliance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
Bamidele also faulted the undue establishment and operations of vigilante groups and security outfits at the state level without a national legal framework.
He explained that the incessant deployment of the armed forces to maintain law and order internally was at variance with their mandate under the 1999 Constitution.
He said the practice did not portray Nigeria as a truly democratic and internally stable democracy.
The Senate Leader observed that the challenges facing the Nigeria Police are numerous.
He noted that the way the police are organised, managed, governed, and funded can determine its ability to deliver on its constitutional mandate of protecting the life and property of Nigerians.
He said, “Understanding these dynamics can help in appreciating what needs to be done to improve security in the country. Nigerians do not fully appreciate the depth and scale of the challenges facing the police.
“I maintain that the police have not been set up properly to succeed in this nation. Effective policing in Nigeria is almost impossible unless there are fundamental changes.
“Indeed, the constraints faced by the police are used as excuses for various misconducts and unprofessional behaviours by many officers of the force.
“Despite many attempts by its leadership of the Nigeria Police to enforce discipline and even sack bad eggs, operational misconduct is still prevalent in the ranks of police operatives, and this undermines their capacity to decisively respond to pervasive insecurity nationwide.”
He argued that the regular deployment of the Nigerian Armed Forces across the federation was, no doubt, an indication that the present police structure could no longer address the present security challenges of our nation.
To correct these anomalies, the senate leader canvassed the adoption of decentralised police model to address a myriad of security challenges currently undermining the country’s internal cohesion and disincentivising investors from coming into the federation.
According to him, it is self-evident that the establishment of state police will go a long way in mitigating Nigeria’s current security challenges, especially if the proper control mechanisms are put in place.
The Senate Leader, therefore, reeled out different measures to prevent the political elite from using the state instrument against dissenting voices if the state police is eventually adopted.
Bamidele first suggested that an Independent Police Service Commission should be established.
He said doing so would guarantee the autonomy, independence, and non-partisanship of the state police at federal and state levels in matters of appointment, discipline, promotions, and accountability.
Such an independent police commission, he suggested, should be patterned after the National Judicial Council and utterly be insulated from the undue interference of the political elite whether at the state or federal level.
He observed that the adoption of a decentralised police model “is not without its political complexities.”
He said it has the potential for abuse of power by the political elite.
Its critics, he added, fear that the political elite may use state police to suppress opposition political parties, critical social actors, or perceived enemies.
However, according to him, this fear is not unfounded given Nigeria’s history of the abuse of police powers under the Nigeria Police.
Bamidele expressed grave concern about the proliferation of vigilantes and security outfits in nearly all states of the federation without providing a legal framework for their operations.
He noted that the increase in the number of vigilante groups and security outfits, among states, might degenerate into complex crises if there was no comprehensive legal framework for their operations consistent with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
He observed that the vigilante groups or security outfits are indirectly exercising the powers of state police outside the purview of the 1999 Constitution. However, most governments have justified their resolve to create vigilante groups in Section 4(7).
