Several groups have sent out written statements to berate the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, over the delay in the establishment of state police after he proposed a 60-month take-off plan for the new policy.
This recent announcement by the police IGP meant that the issues arising from insecurity, ranging from terrorism, banditry, kidnappings and mass killings might still hold Nigeria and Nigerians in the jugular. The transition is long, and it is very obvious that these problems might persist for a very long time.
Afenifere on state police
Afenifere, a pan-Yoruba sociopolitical organization, has rejected the suggested 60-month transition period for the state police takeover.
The group said that attempts to address Nigeria’s growing insecurity might be derailed by such a delay. It claimed that the nation could not afford to wait five more years to address rising levels of violence, kidnapping, and terrorism and characterized the plan as unrealistic and unhelpful.
“It is no longer news that criminality, even in the form of terrorism, is at an alarming level in Nigeria. Many of us believe that decentralising the police is one of the most effective ways of addressing this intractable problem,” Afenifere said.
Reacting to the proposal linked to the IGP, the group queried the rationale behind the timeline.
“Does it mean Nigeria should wait for another five years to tackle insecurity? No. If the police authorities think so, many Nigerians, including Afenifere and the Yoruba people, strongly disagree. We want urgent action,” it stated.
Tivi group on state police
Chief Iorbee Ihagh, President General of Mdzough U Tiv Worldwide, denounced the IGP’s 60-month proposal for the creation of State Police, citing its insensitivity and lack of sincerity in light of killings occurring around the nation.
He pointed out that the police chief’s recommendation that it be put into effect in 60 months, after he must have left office, demonstrates the president’s desire to remain in office for as long as possible without accomplishing anything for Nigerians.
“State Police is the most important thing we need now. Why wait for 60 months? By that time he will be out of office. That is if he wins the next election, I don’t think he is qualified.
“That is his thinking, he is not thinking for the country, he is not working for the country; he is working for his own interests. People are dying economically; they are killing people every day; there is hunger everywhere, fuel price is going up and he is making a lot of money; what is he doing with the money? So I condemn that 60 months proposal. I’m not in support. The creation of State Police should be with immediate effect”, he said.
Ijaw Youth Council on state police
The Inspector-General of Police has come under fire from Jonathan Lokpobiri, President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), for his remarks regarding the 60 months prior to the State Police’s launch.
He claims that because the State Police would help the general public, the government does not want it to be successful.
“The issue of State Police is what Nigerians need now, not even tomorrow. We know where IGP is going with his comments. The truth is that we don’t even need the approval of the IGP to start State Police to secure our communities.
“What does the IGP mean by his proposal; which government even has a life span of five years in Nigeria? When the government does not want things that benefit the people to survive, this is how they go about their design.
“Perhaps the IGP is afraid that the State Police will whittle down his powers over police formation across Nigeria. But the State Police is not designed to have a State IGP. So, I am wondering why the IGP is afraid, such that his interest is in the duration it will take for the take-off”, he remarked.
