State Police Must Be Backed By Whole Society Policing To Tackle Insecurity — Fatai Owoseni
A former Commissioner of Police in Lagos and Benue States, and Special Adviser on Security to the Oyo State governor, Fatai Owoseni, ( rtd) has, stated that Nigeria can effectively tackle its insecurity challenge if it adopts the State Police initiative with the Whole Society Policing approach.
Owoseni gave the recommendation during an interview on the programme ‘Breakfast Central’ on News Central TV, which was monitored by NewsBreakNaija correspondent in Ibadan.
He spoke extensively on the structure of policing, the debate around state police and the funding challenges affecting security operations in the country.
Reacting to the inauguration of a committee on the establishment of state police by the newly sworn-in Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, Owoseni commended the IGP for raising a competent committee describing the move as a welcome development toward strengthening the country’s security framework.
He stated that while state police is an idea whose time has come, applying a Whole Society Policing approach as it is done in America, would help resolve the nations security challenges.
He also canvassed the need to ensure adherence to the rule of law to make it work.
He warned that any policing structure could fail if authorities at the state level are allowed to decide which court orders or judgments to obey.
“Even if you have the state police and the rule of law is not really grounded, you are wasting your time.
“So, if you have a state police and whoever that is going to be in control in the state will choose between what court order or judgment will be obeyed and which one will not be obeyed, we will continue to have this agitation. And I fear if we will still not go back to say, let us return to a centralized police,” he said.
Owoseni also warned against directly comparing Nigeria’s proposed policing structure with that of the United States, stressing that the two countries operate different forms of federalism.
According to him, the American model is built on a broader and more integrated security system involving numerous law-enforcement agencies working together.
“Models have been cited. The first thing people will say is the United States of America. Our federalism is different. A federalism that is put up through centrifugal consideration is different from the federalism that is put up to centripetal consideration. So that is why we are different.
“And the United States of America is not just about state police. They have over 1,000 or 2,000 law-enforcement agencies that are integrated.
“What the United States operates is Whole Society Policing. So, in effect, if you have a state police and you don’t also apply all those safeguards that everyone should be involved in, we are just joking.”
Owoseni further warned that making state police purely indigenous could create ethnic or tribal tensions within states.
“Every state has different ethnic and religious groups. If you make the police purely indigenous, minority groups may feel excluded. That is why policing must remain inclusive,” he said.
The former police commissioner also stressed that the police must remain a neutral institution committed to serving the constitution and the people, rather than political interests.
He said: “Police will continue to remain topical, but the basic thing, as General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi said when they were setting up the 1957 Commission, is that the police is a critical institution which should not be subjected to the power of one person and made to get involved in politics.
“The police should remember that their obligation is to the constitution of this country and to the people of Nigeria. That is when police can be made accountable. When your democracy is strong and the rule of law is strong, you would have an effective and accountable police.”
He explained that concerns about policing in Nigeria have existed for decades, which led to the creation of institutions such as the Police Council and the Police Service Commission.
“The concerns of Nigerians about policing are not new. They have been expressed since the pre-colonial era, and that was why structures like the Police Council and the Police Service Commission were created,” he noted.
The Police Council, according to him, has not been functioning as effectively as it should.
“The council should meet regularly to discuss security issues across the country. If it had been functioning the way it was designed, many of these challenges would have been addressed,” he said.
On funding, the former police chief said policing is one of the most expensive responsibilities of government and requires strong financial commitment.
“Policing is very expensive. No single institution can fund it alone. In many states today, governors are already supporting the police with vehicles and logistics,” he said.
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