State police proposal is Tinubu’s ‘masterstroke’ against insecurity, says Barau

Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin has described President Bola Tinubu’s bid to establish state police as a “masterstroke” that could transform Nigeria’s security architecture, saying the proposed system contains safeguards to prevent abuse while bringing policing closer to communities.

Barau, who also chairs the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, spoke during Radio Nigeria Kaduna’s live Hausa programme, Hannu Da Yawa, on Saturday, according to a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir.

He said the state police bill recently passed by the Senate was the product of extensive consultations involving the Presidency, the National Assembly, the Inspector-General of Police, retired police officers, security experts, governors, civil society organisations and members of the public.

The Deputy Senate President said the proposal also underwent public hearings across the six geopolitical zones and the Federal Capital Territory before its passage.

Defending the initiative, Barau said President Tinubu had carefully addressed concerns that state police could be used for political or ethnic purposes.

“President Tinubu carefully studied the situation and discovered that while many Nigerians support State Police, there are fears that it could be abused or misused for political or ethnic purposes. That is why safeguards have been built into the system,” he said.

He explained that state police would complement, rather than replace, the Nigeria Police Force by recruiting officers from local communities with knowledge of their environment.

“State Police operatives, who will be recruited from local communities, know the people, the terrain and even the criminals. This will significantly improve our response to banditry, kidnapping and other crimes,” Barau said.