Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly in Nigeria has endorsed state police. Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly and the National Treasurer of the conference, Emomotimi Dennis Guwor, who disclosed this at a press conference in Asaba, said the conference had started working towards actualising the establishment of state police.He said: “Recently, we went for a constitutional amendment committee meeting in Abuja, where all the issues were outlined.
“National Assembly is very serious about the creation of state police. So, we are liaising with them (National Assembly) to see how we can support because, by the time it is passed, it will also come for our consent at the state Houses of Assembly,” he said.
“There is room for us as a nation to create state police, which of course, is on the exclusive legislative list. For now, Nigeria is due for state policing because the locals understand the security situation in their environment. So, it is high time we amended all that is amendable so that at the end of it all, we have state police in all parts of the country.”
He said developed nations had state police and it had been working for them because their operations were well spelt out to avoid unnecessary clashes, assuring that provisions would be made to prevent clashes.
On the fear that governors would use state police against political opponents, Guwor said: “No need to fear whether governors will arbitrarily control police against the perceived political opponents.
“The governors will not use them against opponents. What about the Federal Government that controls the federal police; if that is their fear, they can also use federal police against a perceived enemy. But that is not what is happening.’’
So, for me Nigeria is due for state policing,” he said.
