Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr Abubakar Malami, has advised proponents of state police to balance it against fears of politicisation of police activities, arms proliferation and bias.
The AGF gave the advice in his address at the opening of a two-day retreat organised by Southern Senators’ Forum in Calabar on Friday.
He said that while there was no doubt that state police services may ensure deeper grassroots penetration, the fears of abuse should not be undermined.
“The discourse here has largely been driven by arguments by several State and non-State actors in favour of the establishment of State Police Forces or Services, as the case may be.
“Arguments both ways are quite persuasive in my opinion.
“There is no doubt that state police services may ensure deeper grassroots penetration by operatives of the Police due to greater understanding of local conditions, give governors more de-facto supervision of security and create employment opportunities.
State Police: We must balance call with politicisation, arms proliferation – AGF
