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IGP Opposes State Police Warns Of Govs’ Excesses

Published

9 months ago

Apr 23, 2024.

IGP opposes state police proposal, citing concerns over potential misuse by state governors.
FG remains supportive of state police initiative despite opposition from the IG.
Efforts underway to establish state police as part of measures to address the nation’s security challenges.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that during a national dialogue on state policing organized by the House of Representatives in Abuja, Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, voiced opposition to the state police proposal. He expressed concerns that state governors might misuse the institution for personal or political gains, potentially compromising human rights and national security.

Egbetokun’s remarks come amid the Federal Government’s firm stance in favor of the state police initiative. Despite the IG’s reservations, Vice President Kashim Shetimma reaffirmed the commitment of the Bola Tinubu administration to facilitate the creation of state police nationwide, emphasizing the importance of fostering an enabling environment for its establishment.

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The nation has been grappling with multifaceted security challenges for the past years with the police authorities unable to roll back the crisis despite the deployment of various strategies, including the military forces across the country.

To address the anomaly, Tinubu and the state governors agreed to come up with modalities that would culminate in the creation of state police to tackle the security crisis.

IGP Opposes State Police

This was part of the agreements reached at an emergency meeting between the President and 36 state governors at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja in February.

So far, about 20 governors have submitted reports expressing their support for state police to the National Economic Council.