A former Chief of Army Staff, Retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau says establishing state police will only be effective in Nigeria if it is strictly professionalised.
Retired Lt.-Gen. Dambazau, who asserted in an interview with Newsmen, said that state policing must be insulated from the control of state governors to prevent its weaponization against political opponents.
He also called for strict, non-compromised profiling, vetting, and training of personnel to guarantee competence and curb misconduct.
The former Chief of Army Staff noted that the framework must include standardized, national oversight and operational guidelines to prevent potential human rights abuses or the emergence of ethnic militias
“It requires training, equipment, discipline, accountability, transparency, adherence to the rule of law, and respect for human rights.
“So in all, where you have state and national police, if you don’t enhance the quality, make the force professional, then you won’t have the results expected,” he stated
Retired Lt.-Gen. Dambazau maintained that with regard to insecurity, the targeted communities were in the rural population, stressing that in those areas, there are hardly any elements of law enforcement in those communities.
“Probably that is why people are calling for state police. But of course, the state policing requires what the national police requires.
“I believe that people are calling for that because they think the system we have is too centralised. Therefore, if you decentralise it, it will work. Yeah, it will work only if you make it professional.
“To make it professional, you have to train it well, equip it, ensure there is absolute discipline, and that the welfare of personnel is taken care of very well.
“You have to also ensure that they meet the minimum universal standard of policing.
Of course, beyond that, you have to ensure that there is trust.
“You build trust and confidence between the police and the public, whether it’s state or not, because where the public doesn’t have trust, then it becomes a problem,” he said.
Retired Lt.-Gen. Dambazau, who is now Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to China, said this was why sometimes even communities would contribute money to bandits to protect them against other bandits.
“So to me, whether state police or not, the standard must be monumental. If your state creates state police and the standards are not there, then you are going back to square one.
“So, of course, the states will have to be ready to fund it adequately. Human capital development is an ingredient in ensuring security,” he added.
