By Omoyeni Ojeifo
Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has backed the Senate’s passage of the constitutional amendment bill seeking the establishment of state police, insisting that funding should not be a barrier to strengthening security across the country.
Defending the proposed establishment of state police during an interview on Channels TV, monitored by Persecondnews on Wednesday, the governor said security remains the foundation of development and should take priority over concerns about financing a state policing system.
Sani argued that states have already received support for infrastructure development and should be able to invest in protecting lives and property through state-controlled policing structures.
“Funding should never be a problem. If the President can support states to own infrastructure, I have no idea what is more important. Without security, you can’t even build the infrastructure,” he said.
Sani maintained that the bill does not impose a fixed number of police personnel on states, allowing each governor to determine that based on their capacity.
“Every state governor can decide on the number based on the funding and based on the necessity. There is no fixed number that every state must have.”
The governor said Nigeria’s security challenges require more personnel on the ground, stressing that the current federal policing structure is overstretched.
“Anybody in Nigeria that tells you the number of police and military personnel we have are enough is not being sincere. We need more boots on the ground,” Sani also said.
According to him, state police will complement the federal police and improve security coverage in underserved communities.
“There are parts of Nigeria where you can travel for many kilometres without seeing any security personnel, yet people live in those communities and need protection.”
Sani also addressed concerns about possible abuse of state police by governors, saying the proposed legislation contains adequate checks and balances.
“There are a lot of safeguards in this bill that prohibit governors from using state police against political opponents. That is one of the most important provisions,” he added.
The governor expressed optimism that state policing would strengthen security nationwide and save lives.
“Let us try it. There is room for amendment if we discover areas that need improvement, but we must take this step to save lives and protect our people.”