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Constitution Amendment: Group warns against creation of state police

An advocacy group, Joint Action for Good Governance (JAGG), has urged the National Assembly not to consider the creation of state police in the ongoing amendment of the constitution.

 

The National Vice President of JAGG, Mr. Abdulwaheed Odunuga, expressed his view in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.

He said the National Assembly should rather concentrate on how to strengthen the capacity of the federal police to deliver the much-expected security.

Odunuga said that if created, state police would be abused and manipulated by state politicians.

He said, “It will be a doom for this country if state police are entrusted to this our present crop of leaders.

“It will be commandeered by ambitious state governors who will convert it into private political weapons, just like the State Independent Electoral Commissions.

“They (state political actors) will abuse the powers of the state police, which will further divide the country and terrorise the people they are supposed to protect.”

According to him, the national assembly should make laws to deepen the strength, capacity, operations, and professionalism of the federal police.

 

NAN reports that the 10th National Assembly has begun the process of amending Mr. Abdulwaheed Odunuga.

 

In February, the Senate constituted a 45-member Constitution Review Committee, headed by the Deputy Senate President, Sen. Jimin Barau,  to amend the 1999 Constitution.

 

Senate President Sen. Godwill Akpabio, while inaugurating members of the committee in Abuja, said the review of the constitution had become imperative “to put certain things right.”

 

Recently,  House of Representatives also inaugurated its constitutional review committee for the amendment of the 1999 Nigerian constitution as amended.

The Speaker, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas, while inaugurating the committee, said that the step marked another significant moment in the democratic journey towards a more ‘perfect union’.

He said that it was expected that the Sixth Amendment under the tenth National Assembly would be the most comprehensive.

One of the areas listed for possible consideration in the amendment is the creation state police to address the current security challenges. (NAN)

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