The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has attributed the recent abduction of 286 students and teachers from schools in Kaduna to the failure of Nigeria’s federal policing system. Anthony Ojukwu, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, made this assertion during a stakeholders’ dialogue on state police organized by the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre in Abuja.
The abduction occurred in the Kuriga area of the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, where bandits shot indiscriminately before kidnapping their victims. This incident sparked national outrage, drawing condemnation from various quarters, including Jama’atu Nasril Islam, Amnesty International, and the Parents-Teachers Association of Nigeria.
Ojukwu underscored the importance of prioritizing the security of all citizens over the elite and affluent in society, emphasizing the need for a revamped policing system. He advocated for the introduction of state police to address security challenges such as banditry effectively.
“Insecurity in this country is a result of bad governance. There is no argument about that,” Ojukwu stated, highlighting the systemic flaws within the federal police force. He criticized the imbalance in police deployment, with a disproportionate focus on protecting the elite while leaving the masses vulnerable to attacks.
Ojukwu urged for a comprehensive overhaul of the federal policing system, emphasizing the need for state police to supplement security efforts. He cited the success of the #EndSars protests in 2020 as a manifestation of public frustration with the existing policing structure.
However, Professor Etannibi Alemika, a Criminology and Sociology of Law expert at the University of Jos, expressed reservations about the introduction of state police. He raised concerns about potential politicization and inefficiencies at the state level, advocating instead for localized policing at the municipal level.
Alemika highlighted challenges such as recruitment biases and the potential for interference by influential figures at the state level. He proposed focusing on strengthening policing at the local government level to ensure more effective community-based security measures.