The former security chiefs, under the aegis of the Forum of Retired Inspectors-General of Police, met the president to brainstorm on the nation’s security challenges, where they presented a position paper to him.
One of the forum’s leaders, Alhaji Gambo Jimeta, disclosed the group’s position to journalists at the State House, saying that the ex-IGPs were disturbed by the calls for the setting up of state police.
The forum said “putting into consideration the political climate operating in our country, a state police would only be a tool in the hands of political leaders at state levels.”
The issue of state police became controversial recently when the Northern governors issued a communique opposing it, weeks after the Nigerian Governors Forum of which they are members resolved to agitate for its creation.
“We are of the opinion that the clamour is not in the interest of this nascent democracy,” the ex-IGPs said.
“It will be recalled that the military attempted introducing the localisation of police officers in their states of origin and the exercise boomeranged and failed.
“The establishment of state police will bring us back to the days of ethnic militias where the OPC, MASSOB, Egbesu, ECOMOG and Yankalare held sway.”
The ex-IGPs’ position was signed by former Inspectors General Muhammadu Dikko Yusuf, Sunday Adewusi, Gambo Jimeta, Aliyu Atta, Ibrahim Coomasie, Musiliu Smith, Tafa Balogun, Sunday Ehindero and Mike Okiro.
Four of the signatories who attended the meeting with Jonathan are Jimeta, Coomasie, Smith and Ehindero.
The forum said developed democracies such as the United Kingdom and the United States of America that operate state and local police are “now tilting towards a more centralised national police in dealing with contemporary challenges like terrorism and cyber crimes.”
It noted that the new trend in crime and criminality required the support and collaboration of all.
The forum recommended that the Nigeria Police, the primary organ charged with the responsibility for the maintenance of internal security, should be well positioned to discharge its constitutional and statutory duties efficiently.
It underscored the need for fiscal autonomy for the police and an increase in funding of the institution, and urged the government to address the difficulties in accessing retirement benefits by ex-officers as well as mismanagement of the police pension scheme.
The forum said that government should re-invigorate the intelligence/investigative arm of the police force to enable it to cope with the current challenges.
The retired police bosses said they were opposed to the scrapping of the Ministry of Police Affairs but called for the outlining of a distinct function for it.
“The police are directly under the President or the Prime Minister then, with his busy schedule, the Prime Minister or President will not have enough time to attend to the day to day issues that are arising on police issues,” the forum said.
“During the parliamentary days, there was somebody who is not the prime minister who answers questions on police affairs, so a minister of state was created in the prime minister’s office to ensure that he conducts the political aspects related to the police.”
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