Part1: What State Police?

The Dysfunctional Mind.


Part1: What State Police?


If someone comes to your house with evil intentions-to fight you, to kill you, to rob you, to maim you or any member of your family-the natural reaction is for you to fight back spontaneously; instantly. You use whatever weapon you have at your disposal to fight back: a gun, a machete, a club, a blinding spray, a frying pan, your fingernails, your legs; your teeth; or even your voice. Voice can become a powerful weapon. If you shout loud enough, help may come from unexpected quarters. If you become increasingly overpowered by the intruder, you go to plan B i.e. you ask for help. The best help under the circumstances is the nearest help; family member/s (if available) or your immediate neighbors. The neighbors, in turn, can solicit more outside (and distant) help if and when needed. Does this scenario sound familiar, natural and realistic; perhaps.

What happens when an intruder invades your peaceful home is duplicated at every level of society; the factory, the supermarket, the bank, the academic institution, etc. If you invade a bank, the bank should have the basic defensive mechanisms in place to instantly fight back (security outfit specifically designed for the particular bank). If need be, the bank will ask for nearest help (the local police) which, in turn will solicit help from the municipal Police that will in turn contact the state police for assistance as needed. Does this make sense? This is the type of system that is operative in the United States (where this writer is based) and other parts of the civilized world. If an intruder forces himself or herself into your home/home and you think you need help (beyond what is obtainable within the family) to fight the unwanted visitor, all you need to do is call for help from the nearest police station. In the United States, it takes an average of four minutes (or less) for the police to arrive at the scene.

To reverse or invert this natural trend of events is like asking someone to walk on his or her head instead of walking upright on two feet. When that happens, the end result is predictable: pain and agony, clumsiness, distortion, and potential long-lasting to permanent disability, or even death. That is what happens in Nigeria in times of urgent security need. When an intruder invades a particular Nigerian locality, the beleaguered citizens are forced to wait for distant and sometimes non-existent federal help instead of relying on a workable proximate security system. Between the logistics, the distance, the bad roads, the political favoritism, etc, by the time help arrives, the intruder is able to complete the operations and eat, rest, even sleep in the victim’s house before help arrives (if it arrives). It makes no sense that a State must wait on the Federal government to post policemen for State security. The best security system is the one provided by someone who has a stake in the success or failure of the particular system in question. You will protect your land, home or business better than a hired hand from afar. Besides, an area is better protected by someone who knows the terrain and understands the sentiments, attitudes and peculiarities of the indigenous community.

Power has a way of distorting people’s minds; so does money especially when one does not work for it. People who work hard for their money do not part with it in reckless manner. Nor does the possession of it turn them into dysfunctional individuals. Our Nigerian leaders (or institutionalized looters?) have very dysfunctional minds. Part of that dysfunctionlity stems from the level of loot at their disposal. They can no longer think properly like regular people. Only the dysfunctional mind, the type that is prevalent among our Nigerian politicians, can oppose the creation of the State police. How can a national police force with headquarters in Abuja take care of a country as vast and heavily populated as Nigeria? No wonder an average Nigerian has been completely overrun by fear, insecurity and helplessness.

From time to time, our security men and women are sent overseas for ‘refresher courses’ and other forms of ‘training’ in security matters. What exactly do they learn during those ‘courses’? Or, are those travel periods another opportunity to jet out of the country, purchase expensive cars and houses with raw cash, and sneak away as much loot as possible? We tend to find solace on every spot where someone else has mowed the lawn. Our people pride themselves in flocking overseas in large numbers to praise and take advantage of ‘systems that work’. Yet, you will find Nigerians in every part of the world at the helm of those ‘systems that work’. Therefore, we (Nigerians) are very capable of setting up the same systems back home. Unfortunately, like a cursed people in our own land, we seem to be incapable of doing so.

The Nigerian politician will present the argument that a State police is likely to be turned into a tool of subjugation and vengeance against political opponents by State governors. Therefore, a state police (they will argue) should not exist. There are two arguments against that reasoning. First, what prevents the national police from being turned into the same tool of vendetta by the higher power? In that case, the national police should not exit either. Second, a police department is supposed to be an independent body, free from the control, the whims and caprices of politicians. The job of the police is to respond to security matters without bias and political lineage.

Frankly speaking, we should have more than the State police. We should have the local government police and the community police. Each facility should have their own police: colleges, universities, industries, etc. The only requirement should be that every security outfit must undergo a standardized training and educational requirement and pass a national standardized test at the end of the training. In that case, any qualified police officer (like a qualified Medical Doctor, Engineer, reporter, painter, brick-layer, etc) can go from one job to another, from one state to another, from one facility to another. They will be trained to ‘speak the same security language’, operate the same (or similar) weapons, adhere to the same rules of engagement, and respond to security situations the same way.

Much has been said about the lack of ‘sophisticated equipment’ which hinders the police from carrying out their duties in Nigeria. How can the police have access to sophisticated equipment when most of the funds required for the purchase of such equipment is embezzled and pocketed by the stakeholders? Let the indigenes take charge and turn things around. He who fights for his own survival will invest in the necessary equipment required for the job. A hired hand is more interested in his pay check. He who fights for his own survival is likely to embezzle less money and resources away from the objective than a hired hand. Having a local police does not deny the federal government of the juicy contract of policing the country. We can have the federal and the local police work side by side with defined responsibilities, independent of each other, yet cooperative in security matters. The federal police can be burdened with federal matters while the State police can concentrate on State, local and petty crimes.

An Ibo adage says that ‘you don’t see the beak of a bird and still ask what it eats with’. Why is the security situation in Nigeria getting worse? How can we combat the rising level of insecurity in the country? Why are the Nigerian police unable/unwilling to protect the lives and property of our citizens? Despite the billions of Naira spent on equipment, personnel, ammunition and training, why are we less safe today than we were in the past with less to work with? When will the security situation in the country improve? These are questions with obvious answers to those with functional minds.

The Nigerian politician has a dysfunctional mind and has trouble understanding simple concepts and logic. No wonder, any time the issue of the state police is brought up, the powerful Nigerian politicians respond with the question, ‘What State Police?

Besides, what do the need a functional Nigerian police force for? They are well fortified and protected. They even have bullet-proof vehicles as an added advantage.



Dr. Uzoaru is based in New Jersey

USA.