State Police: IGP not considering reality of insecurity on Nigerians – Lagos Assembly

 

describes position as unacceptable

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

The Lagos State House of Assembly has condemned the position of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Olukayode Egbetokun on establishment of state police, saying he did not consider the reality of insecurity on Nigerians.

Speaker of the Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, who directed the Clerk of the House, Olalekan Onafeko, to write the Inspector-General and the National Assembly stating that the state lawmakers reject Egbetokun’s position.

Recall that the IGP, represented at a recently held one-day dialogue on state policing, themed, ‘Pathways to Peace: imagining Policing in Nigeria’, opposed the establishment of state police, arguing that it would increase ethnic tension and cause divided loyalty in states of the federation.

The IGP also suggested that the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, be merged with the police force.

However, speaking at the plenary on Monday, Obasa, who noted that the FRSC and the NSCDC have not been able to solve the problems of accidents on roads and pipeline vandalism respectively, wondered how effective they would be if they are merged with the police force.

While praising President Tinubu for his resolve to end insecurity in the country, Obasa said, “In Lagos State, we have the Security Trust Fund through which successive administrations starting from that of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu have provided enormous support to the police command in Lagos State. Yet, crime of different dimensions has continued.

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