Seven Steps to Reform Nigeria Police & Make Nigerians Safer
Read some Interesting thoughts by Baba Joda (Former, Chairman for Several Transition Committees including thag of the current President, and Super Permanent Secretary) especially on Nigerian Police in August 13,2018 Sunday’s Edition of the Daily Trust.
Interesting to note his disillusionment at what the centralized police he recommended has turned out to be a complete failure to the point he is considering its disbandment. I agree this is less than sub-optimal but I think his quandary of how to balance multiple layers of policing at all levels of government with the risk of politicians (especially Governors) using the police to intimidate their opponents locally, is achievable if we design a Police for Nigeria not cut and paste.
Reforming our police and judiciary are Siamese twins and it is one that can be achieved by a focused administration that makes this a priority.
The critical issues confronting the joke of what we call Nigeria Police Force are: Endemic Corruption, Poor Structure Ensuring Low Visibility in REAL NIGERIA and poor connection to REAL COMMUNITIES, Improperly trained and motivated rank and file, archaic modus operandi from road block to SARS to living in barracks to crude interrogation methods, lack of funding and equipment — and ultimately, bad leadership.
To roll back these malaise, the following steps should be explored especially as the first few ones require very minimal processes to be activated in the face of incessant insecurity and killings in Nigeria.
1: A large % of the current force of 350,000 to 400,000 policemen can be largely devolved. Elite units and Mobile Police can be left at Federal Level, but vast majority of Police Men can be moved into the Local Governments of Origin under a transition arrangement- this will immediately improve relevant local access and environmental awareness — a big problem today of our centralized and incapable Police force.
2. Upon doing this, the same redeployed Local Police still under FG control should be made to live in their communities not in barracks like occupying colonial forces. This will immediately make Nigeria safer than it is today. Existing barracks should be sold off as low cost housing where the residual mobile police force has been made comfortable. Current policemen should be first takers to rent or buy apartments in barracks located where they come from and are posted.
3. A fundamental retraining transition program with State Governments wanting to take over these forces should be started. States should be required to develop training programs, provide matching grants to FG Security Grants that currently go to Ministry of Interior and show capacity to manage these local Police segments, set up Local Police Board of elected but unpaid community members — before formal handover of command from the President to the Governor on LG by LG basis. Legislation for this managed transitive program will be required but no need for constitutional amendments. (The Police Council provision in the 1999 constitution already allows the President to delegate policing powers to state governors).
4. Where the transition has been successful (a threshold of LGA coverage can be set) , a constitutional amendment may then be undertaken which should clearly limit the arming of state police to legislation by the federal level. At today’s developmental state, I won’t give full armed Policing powers to most states outside of Lagos, Kano and Abuja . Anything more than a taser will be rich. But that is me- the people will decide. Moreover most cops around the world have only batons and walkie talkies.
Information network and minimal force arrests via enforcements should be the focus of sub-national police in Nigeria today. Later, more lethal force can be made available to them as our politicians mature.
5. The central policing structure should then be boosted by realigning the current duplicate structures. EFCC should become the non-informed FBI of Nigeria charged with investigating federal crimes including corruption, kidnapping and armed robbery, and should swallow up other similar agencies. The Mobile Police Force should be upgraded to specialized SWAT units with capacity to take control of local police in any of the 109 Senatorial Districts and capacity to enforce federal law and protect ALL Nigerians wherever they are
6. Effectively the control of the Police and Federal Mobile Force should be moved to the Attorney General’s office and decoupled from paramilitary forces in Ministry of Interior. This is key for community engagement and demilitarization of the policing system.
7. Lastly, there should be greater coordination between police and prosecutors — and for us to see more effective use of the police and the policing we desire — then there must be judicial reforms.
Starting with professionalizing prosecution by setting up District Attorney Offices of Senator Confirmed prosecutors. responsible for conviction targets set by the AG across the 109 Senatorial districts manned by well trained lawyers, crime investigators and coordination with new Police Investigative Units & Labs. Of course next leap in the reform is to move from trial by judges on criminal matters to trial by Jury as we set up that system.
Reforming our police and judiciary are Siamese twins and it is one that can be achieved by a focused administration that makes this a priority.
I consider this the most important reform at the central level much as I consider education reform the most fundamental reform for ALL governments in Nigeria because security of lives and properties is the NUMBER ONE work of ALL governments especially the central one.
