The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council, Comrade Grace Ike, says the establishment of state police could improve community security, strengthen federalism and promote local accountability.
Ike made this known on Tuesday while delivering a speech at the 2nd Annual Distinguished Parliamentarian Lecture organised by the House of Representatives Press Corps.
The lecture was themed: “The Imperative for State Police: Securing Communities, Strengthening Federalism.”
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According to Ike, Nigeria’s centralised policing system has left several states and communities waiting too long for security responses, stressing that local police forces would be better positioned to understand and respond to the peculiar security challenges in their areas.
She said state police could respond more quickly to threats, prevent the escalation of conflicts and build stronger relationships with local communities.
“Policing from a single national centre has left many states and communities waiting for responses that arrive most times too late,” Ike said.
She noted that Nigeria’s diverse security realities required tailored policing strategies, adding that the security needs of riverine communities in the Niger Delta differed from those of metropolitan neighbourhoods in Lagos or farming communities in the Middle Belt.
The NUJ FCT chairman also said the creation of state police could ease pressure on the Nigeria Police Force and allow for more specialised and regionally appropriate policing.
Ike, however, warned that state police should not be established without adequate safeguards, constitutional clarity and effective oversight.
She called for constitutional amendment and clear legislation defining the jurisdiction, limits and relation
