The Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has highlighted a crucial challenge state governors face in their efforts to confront security challenges in their respective states.
According to him, despite being constitutionally recognized as the chief security officers of their states, Governors don’t have control over the security agencies.
Governor Lawal disclosed that the available security forces, including the Police, Military and Civil Defence, are all loyal to the federal government and may not take direct directives from the Governors except such directives are sanctioned by their superiors or the federal government.
Speaking on Tuesday during an interview with Arise News, Lawal lamented that the situation is why they are unable to assume full responsibility for the security situation in their respective states.
“I can tell the police commissioner, this is what I want him to do. And he will tell me that, no, sir, let me hear from my superiors. That has always been the case.
“We have limitations. And that’s a fact. Everybody will tell you we have limitations, and you know that. That is why we’re advocating for state police. Because if we do that, I think that will go a long way. I will take full responsibility. But for now, I can’t take full responsibility of the security situation in this state, because I don’t have the command and control of these people. I rely on what the federal government says. And whatever they say is final.
“It’s the same thing with the army, it’s the same thing with civil defense. So it’s a general thing all over the country,” he said.
State Police
Governor Lawal stated that given the operational handicap, that is why many Governors are pushing for the establishment of state police. He argued that a locally-controlled security system would allow governors to deploy personnel more effectively and take full accountability for law and order within their jurisdictions.
He said, “When I know I have my police, at least they’re listening to me, I’ll be the one to provide everything for them. The most important thing is to have the legal backing, legal authority to be able to acquire arms and be able to train these people very well, because they understand the trend better.”
He said with State Police in place, the Governors would be able to assume full control of security activities in their respective domains with security forces they can control.
News360 Info reports that Lawal submitted that the establishment of state police is the way forward in dealing wth the security challenges in northern Nigeria and the country as a whole.
He stated, “If we have our own police, it means we are in charge. We’re in control. We should be able to command. We should be able to tell them what to do and not to do. So I think it is the easiest thing to do, because we know these people very well, we live with these people, and part of what we promise to do is protecting lives and properties of our people. So honestly, for me, it’s one of the reason why I feel there’s a need to have community police. This should be the way forward in terms of handling all the security challenges, especially in a state like Zamfara State and other neighboring states in northern Nigeria, and even in Nigeria as a whole, because that’s the way forward.”
