A legal practitioner, Bunmi Aina-Craig, has warned that allowing governors to control state police appointments and funding could fuel political repression, urging constitutional safeguards to ensure the independence of any proposed state policing system.
ABUJA – A legal practitioner, Mrs. Bunmi Aina-Craig, has cautioned that placing state police under the control of governors through funding and appointment powers could lead to widespread political repression and instability across Nigeria.
Aina-Craig, the immediate past President of the National Association of Catholic Lawyers (Abuja Chapter), made the remarks in an interview with journalists on Sunday in Abuja while commenting on ongoing discussions about the establishment of state police.
She expressed support for decentralised policing as a more effective approach to addressing Nigeria’s growing security challenges but warned that the current framework under consideration by the National Assembly contains significant structural weaknesses.
According to her, granting governors the authority to appoint, fund and control state police personnel would effectively transform the security outfits into political instruments.
“When you give a governor power to appoint and pay, you only build a personal security apparatus.
“He will use it to create chaos,” she said.
The legal practitioner urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly to prioritise institutional independence over political considerations as deliberations on state policing continue.
She recommended the establishment of an independent State Police Service Commission to oversee the recruitment, promotion and discipline of state police personnel, thereby insulating the security outfit from political interference.
According to Aina-Craig, the commission should comprise representatives of professional bodies such as the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the judiciary, civil society organisations and traditional rulers, with a retired judge serving as its chairman.
She further argued that state police should receive direct statutory funding from the Federation Account rather than relying on state governments, warning that governors could manipulate security agencies they solely finance.
Aina-Craig also called for comprehensive amendments to the 1999 Constitution, stressing that Nigeria’s legal framework should be strengthened to better protect the country’s security interests and guarantee the operational independence of any future state police system.
The debate over the creation of state police has intensified in recent years, with supporters arguing that decentralised policing would improve local security, while critics continue to express concerns over possible political abuse and misuse of the proposed security structure.
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