Vice President Yemi Osinbajo SAID Why Nigeria needs State Police

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, on Tuesday declared support for State Police in Nigeria.

He said the establishment of the security arm was necessary because Nigeria was a “large and diverse federation”.

Osinbajo spoke while delivering the 70th Anniversary Lecture of the Lagos Country Club, entitled, “Promoting National Cohesion for Progress and Prosperity.”

Commenting on the issue of law and order, the Vice President said: “In diverse societies, we must do all that is necessary to strengthen the institutions of law enforcement, security and the rule of law.

“The challenge is dynamic and our approach must also be dynamic. Which is why I believe that State Police in a large, diverse federation is imperative.

“However, this requires constitutional amendment a product of consensus of our legislators. In the interim, the Federal Government has approved the community policing option.

“The IGP recently announced the plan. An important component is that in the new approach to police recruitments. Police officers will be recruited in each local government and after training will be required to remain in their local governments.

“The plan also involves interfaces between traditional rulers, State neighbourhood watch or vigilante programmes and the police. The security architecture is now being re-engineered for greater use of technology and more integration of the use of security platforms.”