BY OKEY NDIRIBE
Mr Mike Okiro has seen it all in the Nigerian Police Force. He retired after occupying the exalted office of Inspector-General of Police in 2007. Under his tenure as the nation's police boss, he piloted the affairs of Nigeria's top-most law enforcement agency through several storms.
In this interview with Saturday Vanguard, he bared his mind on the raging controversy over decentralization of the police force.
What is your view concerning the raging debate over amending the constitution to accommodate police forces that would be run by state governments?
First of all I want to refer you to the provisions of the amended 1999 constitution. The Constitution made it very clear that there should be a police force for Nigeria which should be known as the Nigeria Police Force. Although this Constitution was made by men, it could also be amended by men. The debate now is whether we can amend the constitution to accommodate state police.
Although, the forum of ex-Inspectors General of Police unanimously recommended that state police should not be adopted, I would have used this opportunity to express a dissenting view if I had any.
I am against state police for various reasons. The first argument of those agitating for state police is that since there is a high level of insecurity in the country, state police would be more effective than the present Nigeria police force.
However, the question I have asked is how would this be possible?
The arguments that have been so far advanced are not convincing.
I want to narrate to you the experience I had with the Governor of Rivers State Mr Rotimi Amaechi, while I was the Inspector General of Police.
(http://vml1.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Okiro3.jpg?9d7bd4) (http://www.vanguardngr.com/?attachment_id=306691)Mike Okiro This was at the height of the kidnapping saga in Rivers State. He volunteered to train some Police Officers serving in the state on anti-terrorism in Israel. However, he gave a condition; that such officers must not be posted out of the. State for three years. I agreed. These officers eventually underwent that training and returned to Rivers state. Do you still hear about kidnapping cases in Rivers State today?
Later when that crime spread to Abia State and the Governor there who was aware of the availability of those specially trained officers in Rivers State, he requested for them to be re-deployed to Abia State. But Amaechi refused based on the ground that an agreement was reached that those officers must serve in the state for three years.
In this case, you could see that the Rivers State Governor was justified in the sense that he used the resources of his state to provide special training for police officers in order to serve the people of the state.
So those who argue that even though the Constitution recognizes a state Governor as the Chief Security Officer of a state, he doesn't exercise control over the police force is not right. The truth of the matter is that the Governor as Chief Security Officer of a state can give directives to the Commissioner of Police serving in his state. The Police Commissioner is bound to carry out such directives unless it is in conflict with the good governance of the entire nation. In such a case he might refer the matter to the Inspector-General of Police, who in turn might refer it to the President.
So, the constitution has a provision which does not allow State Governors to exercise all the paraphernalia of power.
Before Nigeria attained independence, regional, local and even customary police was in place. You should be aware of how these various types of police formations were misused. It was as a result of this that the Federal Government discarded the local police. You cannot lick your own spittle after you have spat it out. We can't go back to failure.
I am sure you can still remember what the Bakassi Boys did in some of the states of the South-East. Infact, what the Bakassi boys did would be a child's play if they had been the top most law enforcement body in the South-East then. If we still want this country to continue existing as one in which all the smaller groups would continue to be accommodated, we should stick to the current police force we have until sometime in future when Nigerians have become more mature. I am not saying that the police should remain like this ad-infinitum.
Those governors who agitating for state police are doing so because they are there today; but they would leave office someday and they can't tell who would succeed them. I know some serving governors today who wouldn't have emerged if state police was in place.
Some people could also argue that the Federal Government has also been abusing the federal police. But what I want to point out is that there are means through which the powers of the Federal Government over the police are kept in place. For instance, you have the Nigeria Police Service Commission. Both arms of the National Assembly also have committees on the Police. All these serve as checks on the powers of the President over the Police. With all these checks in place, the Inspector-General of Police cannot act ultra-vires.
During the second republic, the then Governor of Anambra State Mr. Jim Nwobodo who belonged to different political party from President Shehu Shagari, cried out over the uncompromising attitude of the Commissioner of Police Mr Bishop Eyitenne. Don't you think that that scenario was an aberration in a federation like Nigeria?
It wasn't an aberration. I was serving in Anambra State at that time as an Assistant or Deputy Superintendent of Police. I think the clash between Eyitenne and Nwobodo at that time was more of a personality clash rather than something that was based on a legal principle. If you could remember, Nwobodo had what was called Jim's Vanguard. Nwobodo as Governor at that time wanted to control all paraphernalia of power in the state, while the
Police Commissioner had to refer to the Constitution to be properly guided in doing his job.
If the Governor gives a Commissioner of Police directives on what to do, he is bound to comply. But if it is antithetical to the interest of the entire nation, the Commissioner of Police could refer it to the Presidency. What really happened was that since the Police Commissioner failed to carry out Governor Nwobodo's directives, he went ahead to establish Jim's Vanguard.
Why do you seem to prefer the Canadian federation police structure over and above that of United States of America , whereas our constitution is fashioned after that of America?
In America, they have 1525 police forces. This is basically because you could buy a gun over the counter. Over there if you have a big office and could employ some armed security guards, you could have a set-up similar to the police. But they would have limitations . If there is any serious case, they could refer it to the nearby police division. But then we are not to ape America; we cannot say just because it has happened there, therefore it must happen here. We cannot also say because it has succeeded there, therefore it must also work here. In Nigeria, we have the extended family system. Here we also have villages and towns. It is not so in the United States.
Let me give you a typical example. In the early 80s a decision was taken to post policemen to their states of origin. However, not long after, the Iyamu and
Anenih saga occurred. Iyamu was a policeman who hailed from Benin and had been posted to his state in line with that policy. He later found out that Anenih was an armed robber but could not arrest him because he knew Anenih's family and they all knew each other.
As a result of that saga, all policemen were once again posted out of their states of origin.
Just imagine if you are posted to your village as a policeman and a case involving your kinsman is reported to the station. If you are asked to handle such a case, the suspect could accuse you of arresting because of the quarrel between his grandfather and yours. Nobody would any longer talk about the crime committed.
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