BREAKING: Ex-Kano gov Shekarau backs state police

A former governor of Kano State, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau announced on Sunday that he is in total support of the introduction of State Police to stem the tide of insecurity in each state and region.

Shekarau backed the move when he was featured as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

His endorsement comes three days after the country’s 36 governors submitted their positions on State Police, with the majority agreeing on the need for state-controlled policing.

The Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, revealed this to State House Correspondents after the 147th meeting of the National Economic Council at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Thursday.

Reacting, the ex-minister of education emphasised that if the issue of security is truly a collective responsibility, it was only fair that things should be done properly.

He said, “I have always agreed with the view that there is a need to create an outfit at the state level down to the local government level. If you like, call them Community Watch, community police or state police. Whatever name you call them, the idea is that we need to monitor our environments.

“Governments at various levels have the constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and properties. Many people, lawyers and constitutionally concerned people have been reminding various governments that their most important responsibility is to ensure the safety of citizens and properties.

“So the issue of security is the concern of everybody. But we have mentioned severally that the current security structure has to be revisited and restructured. The number, facilities, training and welfare are inadequate at the moment, particularly when we talk about our internal security watch. My problem with this issue of the state security is the framing of the law that will be governing it.”