The Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, AYCF, has declared that Nigeria is not ready to operate a state policing system.
Speaking with the media on Sunday, President-General of AYCF, Yerima Shettima, said the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration cannot establish state police.
He stressed that Nigeria would be ready for state policing when state governments are able to operate independent of the Federal Government.
He said: “I’m an advocate of regional policing and how to reduce power at the centre. We run a system that the centre will always be there to oversee the affairs of the regions. Structural-wise that is how it should be, however, we are not ready for state policing.
“I’m only concerned that the state governors have done a lot of damage to the system for state police to be achieved. Probably after this government, the next one would be able to put the system together. State governments need to have revenue generation without looking at the centre before establishing state police. We have not gotten there yet.
“We need to have a government that works, we need to have a government with foresight and clear direction of its economic policies and with this they can now come up with state policing. As it is now, it will be impossible for state government to have state policing.”
On the fears about state governors using it for personal vendetta, Shettima said: “Well the Federal government must oversee the affairs of the institution. Government must amend the constitution in such a way that it would supervise the activities of state police to ensure that things are done properly and nobody is above the law.”
