Plateau Killings: Time is ripe for state Police-Tambuwal

Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal on Saturday agreed with a view earlier expressed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on what to do that will end the incessant killings in Nigeria by suspected herdsmen and others.

The governor while declaring open the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Sokoto, said that the never-ending killings in the country had vindicated the calls for state police.

According to him, the states’ governors must have a measure of control over the security apparatus in their respective states.

“Whether we like it or not, there is seeming justification for state police and there is seeming justification for state governments to have some measure of control on security personnel. Everything is wrong with our nation and we must, as a matter of urgency, rise to the challenges,” he said.

He then called on President Muhammadu Buhari to look for more competent service chiefs who could bring fresh ideas to end the prevailing insecurity situation in the country.

He said, “Providing security relies squarely on government, particularly the Federal Government. We must call a spade by its name. The President has to do the needful. We have qualified people who can bring fresh ideas (to the nation’s security situation).”

A statement by Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, on Saturday had also quoted the Vice President as saying earlier on Friday that state police remains the best option to employ to end rampant killings in the country.

Osinbajo was said to have stated that in his keynote address at the third anniversary of the 8th Assembly of the Lagos State House of Assembly in Lagos, adding that it was no longer practicable to police a country as big as Nigeria from Abuja.

“We have argued repeatedly, and we believe it is the position of our party, that you cannot police a country of this size with a police command that functions out of Abuja. It is just impossible. We must have state police and community police.

“Policing is always a local function. Anyone who is a policeman must be able to speak and understand the local language. If a policeman does not understand the local language, he stands at a major disadvantage. This is why state or local policing is important as part of our security architecture”, he said.