The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, has once again reiterated the need for state police, describing it as key content of restructuring.
Adams’ reaction came in response to the statement made by the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Rules and Business, Francis Waive, that state police like other issues relating to the review of the constitution, and amendment of the Nigeria Police Act to accommodate state police would take two years.
He stated also that he was deeply concerned about the situation in the country, adding that issues of insecurity across the country should be the foremost on the agenda of every administration.
In an earlier interview with The PUNCH on the police bill on Monday, Waive explained that being a constitutional matter, it would be difficult to put a date of passage to the state police bill, adding, however, that the Constitution Review Committee had rolled out its two year-work plan.
Waive said, “That (state police) is a constitutional matter. After the second reading, the bill was referred to the Constitution Review Committee like all other constitutional amendment issues. The committee has rolled out its two-year work plan.
“The entire constitution amendment process has a two-year life span from January 2024 to December 2025.”
But Gani Adams, in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Aderemi, on Wednesday, said the spike in the rate of insecurity across the country was a matter of great concern that needed an urgent solution.
Adams said, “We don’t need to wait till eternity before we get state police in Nigeria. State police is a content of restructuring.
“Insecurity seems to have defied all measures. As far as I am concerned the two years constitutional time frame is too much of a time for such a bill to be passed or adopted by both the House of Reps and the Senate.
“What if we are amending the entire constitution? How long will it take to amend the entire constitution of Nigeria? Ironically, it will take up to eight years before the constitution is amended.”
He wondered the number of people that would have been killed through insecurity across the country within two years or the number of properties that would have been destroyed within the period.
“For instance, Kastina, Zamfara, Borno, Benue, Plateau and every part of the North is still boiling to date. In the South-West, we are still mourning and feeling the pain of the death of the three Obas that were killed in Ekiti and the number of abductions is still growing by the day. In Lagos and most of the South, nightlife is gone because of insecurity.
“We do not need up to that. I do not think that is proper, two years is too much time, I disagree with that, especially, at this time when there’s an emergency,” he added.
He urged those involved in passing the state police bill to stop playing politics with people’s lives.
“So, Francis Waive as Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Rules and Business, should know what is expected of them as representatives of the people in the parliament.”
