Prince Matthew Onyebuchi Agu, an APC chieftain in Enugu State, has spoken out against the planned creation of a state police force, claiming that doing so would cause widespread political intimidation and anarchy in Nigeria.
According to Vanguard, Agu, who ran for deputy governorship in the now-defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), claimed that the country is “not ripe” for a state police force because governors will use it for personal grudges, to silence critics, and to thwart justice.
Agu called the plan “a recipe for chaos and obvious danger” and argued that the federal government should instead put more resources into programs that already exist to keep people safe, like neighborhood watch groups and forest guards.
The misuse of power and complete contempt for law and order displayed by state authorities in his home state of Enugu informed his opposition to the state police, he stated.
“Introducing state police to Nigeria at this time would be risky and could result in complete chaos; the country is not ready for it.”
According to Agu, a former governor allegedly utilized senior police personnel to obstruct court decisions and harass locals in a land dispute that involved his community, Obollo-Affor, in Udenu Local Government Area.
“It was the federal police. He warned that unfathomable consequences would have ensued had he had complete authority over the state police.
Giving politicians complete control of the armed state police, according to Agu, would just encourage them to abuse their position of power, especially because they already control state-backed security groups.
In order to oppress the people, scare their opponents, and favor their allies, they will simply utilize the state police. He continued by saying that many governors don’t have the discipline and patriotism to run a delicate institution.
Agu argued that the federal government should restructure and legalize neighborhood watch structures across the country, with the Nigeria Police Force overseeing them closely, rather than establish state police.
He emphasized that the national police, not governors, should issue orders to the neighbourhood watch, which should have specific duties.
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