The Convener of the Police Integrity Movement, Isaiah Davies Ijele, has urged the Federal Government to cut what he described as unnecessary spending on the National Assembly and redirect more resources to the Nigeria Police Force to tackle the country’s worsening insecurity.
Ijele made the call during an interview on Arise News’ Morning Show on Saturday, where he argued that poor funding remained one of the biggest obstacles to effective policing across the country.
He also welcomed ongoing efforts to introduce state police, describing the initiative as a major step towards bringing security closer to communities ravaged by banditry and other violent crimes.
”I also want to appreciate the police leadership for pushing the introduction of state police. This is something many of us have been clamouring for over the years,” he said.
The security advocate, however, warned that creating state police alone would not solve Nigeria’s security challenges unless lawmakers addressed critical issues relating to manpower, funding and accountability.
According to him, Nigeria has fewer than 400,000 police officers serving a population of more than 200 million people, highlighting what he described as a huge manpower deficit.
He said investigations by his organisation showed that inadequate funding had severely weakened police operations nationwide.
Ijele claimed that thousands of police stations receive only ₦20,000 as monthly operational allocation, adding that the funds were often delayed for several months.
”How do we expect officers to carry out their duties effectively under such conditions?” he asked.
He maintained that the persistent criticism directed at the police ignored the systemic problems confronting the force.
”I have said it before: we should reduce unnecessary spending by the National Assembly and channel more resources towards funding the police,” he stated.
On the proposed state police legislation, Ijele predicted that governors would likely support the bill, particularly with elections approaching, but warned against granting them unchecked powers over state police formations.
He urged the National Assembly to engage security experts, civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders before passing the bill to ensure strong legal safeguards, accountability and effective oversight.
Ijele also warned that the influence many governors wield over their state Houses of Assembly could undermine independent oversight of state police if adequate constitutional safeguards were not put in place.
He added that while Nigerians desired greater decentralisation of policing, the success of state police would depend on clear laws, accountability and strict institutional checks to prevent abuse of power.
Meanwhile,SummitPost reported that Senate passed the landmark constitutional amendment, with lawmakers now racing to secure the approval of at least 24 state legislatures before the bill can be transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Yemi Adaramodu, disclosed the development in an exclusive interview with newsmen, saying all the necessary arrangements had been concluded for the transmission.
According to him, the state legislatures and governors were already awaiting the bill following consultations held ahead of its passage by the National Assembly.
“The bill for the creation of state police will get to the states this week. The states’ speakers have met and are awaiting the bill from the National Assembly.
“The state governors are expecting it too, even with their presence in the Senate chamber when the bill was being considered and passed,” Adaramodu said.