Nigeria Police Force wasn’t established to succeed – Senate Leader

“I maintain that the police have not been set up properly to succeed in this nation. Effective policing in Nigeria is almost impossible unless there are fundamental changes,” he said.

The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has said the Nigeria Police Force was not properly structured to fight security challenges.

Mr Bamidele, the senator representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District, maintained that effective policing would not be achieved in the country until fundamental changes in the police structure were made.

The senate leader stated this on Monday at the 2024 Distinguished Personality Lecture Series jointly organised by the Department of Political Science and Institute of Legislative Studies, University of Ilorin, Kwara State.

“I maintain that the police have not been set up properly to succeed in this nation. Effective policing in Nigeria is almost impossible unless there are fundamental changes,” he said.

Mr Bamidele lamented incessant unprofessional conduct of police officers and failure of its leadership to check misconduct among the officers.

“Indeed, the constraints faced by the police are used as excuses for various misconducts and unprofessional behaviours by many officers of the force.

“Despite many attempts by its leadership of the Nigeria Police to enforce discipline and even sack bad eggs, operational misconduct is still prevalent in the ranks of police operatives, and this undermines their capacity to decisively respond to pervasive insecurity nationwide” he added.

Solution

Mr Bamidele proposed state police as a major solution to the insecurity challenges in the country.

“It is self-evident that the establishment of state police will go a long way in mitigating Nigeria’s current security challenges, especially if the proper control mechanisms are put in place,” he said.

The lawmaker also recommended the establishment of an Independent Police Service Commission to guarantee the autonomy of the state police at federal and state levels in matters of appointment, discipline, promotions and accountability.

He added that the commission should be patterned after the National Judicial Council (NJC) to prevent politicians from interference.

The senate leader also expressed concerns about the establishment of local security agencies by some state governments without a legal framework.