Senate minority leader criticises state police, says governors have personal agenda

The proposed creation of state police forces in Nigeria is facing strong criticism from Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro, who argues that governors are pushing for the initiative to serve personal interests rather than genuinely enhance security.

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I think at the moment, those asking for state police are asking for it as an institution to put to whatever use they want, not necessarily as an institution to confront the menace of insecurity.

Moro, representing Benue South Senatorial District, expressed concern that many state governments would struggle to provide consistent funding and necessary equipment for state police. He drew parallels to the alleged compromise of state independent electoral commissions, warning that state police could similarly be misused for political ends, potentially endangering democracy. "I think at the moment, those asking for state police are asking for it as an institution to put to whatever use they want, not necessarily as an institution to confront the menace of insecurity," Moro stated.

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In my state, we have those of you from Benue State, you know about the existence of Operation Zenda, which is a coming together of all the security forces to form one unit of operation. We also have in Benue State the volunteer guards, and from the part of the state that I come from, we have the homeland security.

He highlighted the situation in his home state of Benue, where he claimed existing informal security outfits like Operation Zenda and volunteer guards face funding shortfalls. Moro cited unpaid stipends and a lack of essential logistics for these local security personnel as evidence of states' inability to manage even current security challenges, let alone a full-fledged state police force. "If you are unable to equip these informal security outfits to pay a stipend of N15,000 every month to personnel of these outfits, where are you going to get the money to fund the state police?" he questioned.

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I stand to be corrected, but at the last time I checked, the N15,000 for personnel of the operation Vanguard in Benue State had not been paid, and they lack the necessary logistics and equipment to confront the menace of armed attacks.

The Senate recently passed a state police bill, which is now moving to the House of Representatives for consideration. Moro's remarks come as the nation grapples with escalating security challenges, and the debate over the effectiveness and potential pitfalls of decentralized policing intensifies.

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The question that begs for an answer is this. If you are unable to equip these informal security outfits to pay a stipend of N15,000 every month to personnel of these outfits, where are you going to get the money to fund the state police?