Jimeta disagrees with IBB on state police

[DT]

Former Inspector General of Police Alhaji Muhammed Gambo Jimeta has disagreed with former military President General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida on the desirability of state police in Nigeria, saying a central police force as suggested in the various constitutional conferences during the colonial period preparatory to Nigeria's independence is clearly better than state police.  

Jimeta said at an interactive seession with with journalists in Abuja at the that "there is a wide margin and difference of opinion between the operators and professionals in the police and administrators and the people like former boss".  

"I must say that while we were in office or while I was serving under him (IBB), we had serious differences of opinion as operators of our positions and commanders at that time. It was very clear to me that there was and as it is today, there is a lot of misunderstanding and total ignorance of the establishment of a law and order in a democracy", he said.

"I agree there are a few states that can run police force but 99 per cent of the governors could not provide basic services", he said.

Successive military regimes in Nigeria, according to him, impeded the development of the police force following their "deliberate inabilities to cater for its needs".

"Police budget was not debated in the parliament in the First Republic and the police received salary 20 per cent above the civil servants and the armed forces.  The police are now poorly paid and terribly organized with increased responsibilities", he said.

He said the police affairs ministry has little to do in handling the police. "Police were denied the right to handle their finances. Large chunk of police budget is directed by the ministry thereby duplicating responsibilities."



Daily Trust