Senate Leader Highlights Reasons For Dysfunction In Nigeria Police Police

Senate Leader Highlights Reasons For Dysfunction In Nigeria Police Police....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has expressed concern over the dysfunctionality of the Nigeria Police amid increasing demands for a more efficient and responsive police system. He emphasized that the current structure of the police force does not set it up for success in Nigeria.

Bamidele, who also serves as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, highlighted that any police system not aligned with Nigeria’s federal structure cannot effectively address the country’s security challenges.

He made these remarks on Monday during the 2024 Distinguished Personality Lecture Series, co-organized by the Department of Political Science and the Institute of Legislative Studies at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State. The lecture, titled “Constitutional Amendment and the Political Dynamics of State Police in Nigeria,” was chaired by Deputy Senate President Senator Barau I. Jibrin, represented by Deputy Senate Leader Senator Oyelola Ashiru.

Prominent attendees included Senator Saliu Mustapha, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture; Senator Sadiq Umar, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade and Investment; Senator Akintunde Yunus, Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs; Prof. Wahab Egbewole (SAN), Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin; and Prof. Abubakar Suleiman, Director General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies.

During the lecture, Bamidele discussed various socio-economic and political factors contributing to the dysfunctionality of the Nigeria Police and proposed solutions. He criticized the frequent deployment of the armed forces without adherence to the 1999 Constitution and condemned the establishment of state-level vigilante groups without a national legal framework.

Bamidele stressed that using the armed forces for internal security duties contradicts their constitutional mandate and harms Nigeria’s reputation as a stable democracy. He remarked, “The challenges facing the Nigeria Police are numerous. How the police are organized, managed, governed, and funded determines their ability to protect the life and property of Nigerians.”

He continued, “Nigerians do not fully appreciate the depth and scale of the challenges facing the police. The police have not been set up properly to succeed in this nation. Effective policing in Nigeria is almost impossible without fundamental changes. The constraints faced by the police are often used as excuses for various misconducts and unprofessional behaviors by many officers.”

Despite efforts by the Nigeria Police leadership to enforce discipline and remove bad officers, Bamidele acknowledged that operational misconduct remains prevalent, undermining the force’s ability to address widespread insecurity. He argued that the regular deployment of the Nigeria Armed Forces highlights the inadequacies of the current police structure in addressing national security challenges.

To address these issues, Bamidele advocated for a decentralized police model to effectively tackle the various security challenges undermining Nigeria’s internal cohesion and deterring investors.