Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has cautioned that the creation of state police will not solve Nigeria’s worsening insecurity unless governments at all levels address the country’s rising unemployment and poverty.
Falana made the remarks on Thursday while speaking on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, as he weighed in on the recent passage of the controversial State Police Bill by the Nigerian Senate.
According to him, the debate over state policing should go beyond establishing new security structures and focus on tackling the socio-economic factors fueling crime and violence.
“I don’t think we should criminalize politicians, and I don’t want to engage in any conspiracy theory,” he said.
Falana noted that discussions around state police have been ongoing since the campaign for restructuring began, stressing that increasing the number of police stations and recruiting more officers alone would not guarantee improved security.
“How do we have more police stations? How do we employ more policemen and women without considering social security? Why are we not talking about creating employment for young people? Why are we not giving assistance to Nigerians who are vulnerable and extremely poor?” he queried.
He argued that unemployment, poverty and the absence of adequate social welfare remain major drivers of insecurity across the country.
“Unless you address this problem holistically, creating a state police or local government police will not address the crisis of insecurity in the country,” Falana added.
The Senate recently passed the State Police Bill as part of ongoing constitutional amendment efforts aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture. However, the proposal has continued to generate mixed reactions, with supporters describing it as a necessary step towards decentralising policing, while critics warn it could be abused by state governments for political purposes.
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