Daud Olatunji
A former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Michael Aondoakaa, has warned that politicians must be prevented from controlling the recruitment of personnel and procurement of arms for proposed state police formations.
Aondoakaa said allowing politicians to influence recruitment could result in state police commands being populated with loyalists, thereby undermining professionalism, neutrality and public confidence in the institution.
The former AGF made the submission while speaking on Arise TV on Monday, stressing the need for a clear federal legal framework to regulate the establishment and operations of state police.
He argued that recruitment into state police formations should be subjected to strict standards that would prevent politicians from imposing unqualified persons on the security architecture of their states.
“If the federal government does create a law regulating state police, even if they enact it, it will be inoperative. There are key areas I would like to observe that must be taken care of: the issue of recruitment, to avoid politicians bringing touts to become state police officers,” he said.
Aondoakaa added that politicians should not be allowed to nominate individuals who lacked the requisite qualifications and character to serve as police officers.
He also raised concerns about the procurement of firearms and ammunition, warning against allowing each state to independently import weapons and other security equipment.
According to him, the procurement of arms and ammunition for state police should be centrally regulated, preferably through the Office of the National Security Adviser.
“The second issue is the issue of procurement of ammunition; you cannot allow 36 states and the FCT to go buy equipment directly from the international market to arm their policemen,” Aondoakaa said.
He explained that central oversight would make it possible for the Federal Government to monitor the quantity and type of weapons supplied to each state and prevent diversion or proliferation.
“There should be a level of control, and the requirement for procurement of equipment and paramilitary equipment should be controlled, possibly subject to the legal framework, [and] should be through the national security adviser.
“So that we can know which type of arms went to which state. If the entire 36 states go to the market and import arms for their state police, there would be a lot of confusion,” he added.
Aondoakaa, however, said concerns about potential abuse should not be used as an excuse to abandon the establishment of state police, arguing that Nigeria’s worsening security challenges require reforms capable of improving policing at the grassroots.
He called for collaboration between the Federal and state governments in developing a comprehensive legal and operational framework that would ensure accountability and professionalism in state police formations.
The former minister further advocated the elevation of magistrates to the status of judicial officers to provide independent oversight of state police activities, particularly in rural communities.
He said such judicial oversight would help safeguard citizens’ rights and provide an institutional mechanism for checking possible abuses by state police personnel.
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