The Convener of the Police Integrity Movement, Isaiah Davies Ijele, has urged the National Assembly to establish an independent oversight committee for state police commands, warning that allowing governors unfettered control over recruitment could undermine professionalism and accountability.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News’ Morning Show on Saturday, Ijele said lawmakers must go beyond passing the state police bill by creating mechanisms to monitor compliance with operational standards across the country.
He argued that every state police command should be subjected to independent oversight to guarantee accountability, professionalism and adherence to established procedures.
According to him, state governments should not be given absolute authority to recruit police officers, saying such powers could encourage political patronage and favouritism.
Ijele maintained that recruitment, training and deployment should remain under strong federal supervision to preserve merit, uniform standards and operational independence.
On insecurity, he called for sustained military and police offensives against bandits, insisting that criminal groups must be confronted in their forest hideouts to end recurring kidnappings and attacks on schools.
He said the police, military and Joint Task Force should be adequately equipped and deployed to dismantle criminal camps, adding that a determined offensive would demonstrate the government’s resolve to defeat banditry.
The security advocate also called for greater investment in modern policing, including body cameras, surveillance drones and improved operational vehicles for security agencies.
According to him, Nigeria cannot continue to lose huge sums to corruption while failing to provide police officers with essential equipment needed for effective policing.
Ijele dismissed claims that about ₦1bn was spent solely on refreshments at official meetings, saying the budget line also covered operational support for security agencies, including the Joint Task Force and police personnel.
He urged journalists to scrutinise police and security appropriations carefully, particularly the amount released against approved budgets, rather than focusing on isolated expenditure items.
The activist also identified the police pension contribution scheme as a major source of dissatisfaction among rank-and-file officers, noting that only the National Assembly has the power to amend the law governing the deductions.
He further welcomed the provision assigning funding responsibility for state police to governors, saying it would make them directly accountable for security in their states and promote healthy competition in policing standards.
However, Ijele warned that the success of state police would depend on effective implementation, stressing that constitutional safeguards should allow the Federal Government to intervene where a state government fails to discharge its security responsibilities.