The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), has again rejected the institution of state police in the country.
This comes amid calls for state policing to tackle insecurities in the nation, as the current policing system was under the federal government.
In an interview with Channels TV, the President insisted that state police is not an option, adding that more attention should be paid to the relationship between local government and state Governors.
Buhari said, “State police is not an option. Find out the relationship between local government and the Governors. Are the third tier of government getting what they are supposed to get constitutionally? Are they getting it? Let the people in local government tell you the truth, the fight is between local governments and the Governor.”
The President further added that the roles of traditional rulers in the country should not be undermined in bringing peace to communities.
“The role of traditional rulers must not be undermined, because in their areas they know who is who, even by families, not to even talk of individuals,” he said.
This is not the first time that the President had rejected state policing despite calls from the state governors.
As far back as 2019, the President had noted that though state policing was a good initiative, the governors may be unable to pay the officers’ salaries.
There has been an increased call for state policing, especially following the recent drama between the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and a police officer who publicly defied the Governor’s orders.