A former Police Service Commission (PSC) chairman, Chief Simon Okeke, has thrown his weight behind the State policing system, saying the development will address the security challenges in the country.
Okeke maintained that it was an aberration for a country running a federalism to operate a centralized police model.
The elder statesman made the submission at the presentation of My Stewardship: A Compendium of Police Service Commission Media Engagements, 2013 to 2015, a book written by former PSC’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani, in Abuja.
“Nigeria is the only federal state in the world that has a centralised policing system, and that should not be the case. Until the country allows the states to address their own security threats, we will continue to move in circles of insecurity.
“The governors should be empowered by law to operate as the chief security officers of their states.
The security of life and property is given priority in the Constitution, so there ought to be state police, enabling each governor to be responsible for the security of life and property within his or her territorial jurisdiction. Until that is done, we are simply wasting our time.
“The security situation in the country is worsening by the day. The Constitution states that the governors are the chief security officers of their respective states, yet they do not have the legal authority to direct the police to take specific actions to prevent crime. Commissioners of Police take orders from the Inspector-General of Police, not the state governors.
“For a Commissioner of Police to obey an order from a governor, he must first obtain clearance from the Inspector-General of Police; without such clearance, he will act otherwise.
“I am therefore standing before you to say that this is wrong. Like every other institution, state police has its downsides, but I am optimistic that the National Assembly will put adequate checks and balances in place to prevent abuse by governors. Measures must be established to ensure that state police are not used to pursue personal interests or to target opposition and dissenting voices”, Okeke stated.
Commenting on the collection, Ani said: “What I have done is to look at my media engagements from 2013 to 2025, the policies, and how the Commission used the media to promote accountability in policing.
“Each of the Chairmen contributed in specific ways to the Commission. Even when I was not the head of Press and Public Relations, I served as deputy, so I have a full grasp of the Commission’s history. The book therefore provides a brief account of what the Commission has been from the beginning to the present day”.