Shehu Sani, activist and former senator representing Kaduna central district has explained that despite prevailing insecurity in the north, the region is against the creation of state police because it could be abused by governors.
The former senator who has since indicated interest to run for the office governor in Kaduna ahead of 2023 election, said the incumbent governor of the state, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, who supports state police now, will oppose same when he becomes governor.
Sani spoke when he featured on 90MinutesAfrica, an online interview programme, hosted by Rudolf Okonkwo and Chido Onumah.
According to Sani, “as far as the reservation towards state police in the north is concerned in as much as it will be good for local security, we also have a problem where it can be used by state governors to persecute political enemies and it becomes the armed wing of the ruling party in the state.”
He continued, “When we speak about that (state police), we speak about history. In the colonial times when the police were under the emirs, they were used to persecute people who were critical of the emirate system or the religious order. The ruling political party then, the Northern People’s Congress (NPC) used native police to go after critics.”
Sani said he welcomed anything that could be done to restore law and order and security in the country, “but we have to be mindful that those instruments can be misused or abused”.
He added that he would not accept a police force that is directly under the control of his state governor.
“He (Gov el-Rufai) may be in power today, he wants state police. After May 29 next year and I take over Kaduna State, ask him his views. Should Shehu Sani be in charge of the state police? I don’t know whether he will say give him all the powers to control state police. I have met many governors and we discussed. They supported state police while in power and out of power they don’t support state police,” he said.
“If you give them (governors) state police and state prisons, the opposition and social media critics will fill the prisons each time you write anything against them.
“I believe the very day state governors have the control of the police, you can’t even post critical comments on Facebook and Twitter…who are going to be in the police force? They are going to be the supporters of the governor. The political forces of the governor will be the ones recruited into the police. They will be given uniform and empowered by law to act.”