The past week has seen the Federal and State governments in Nigeria embroiled in arguments over the structure of community policing. Conversations around the operations of community policing in the country have been ongoing in the last few years. While States want community policing with increased powers of actual police functions, the Federal Government and leadership of the central Police in Abuja would want only a slight upgrade of existing vigilantes functioning under the regular control of police. Some State Governors have told the Federal Government that they cannot afford to pay the Police constables to be recruited as part of its community policing programme. Chairman of the South-West Governors’ Forum and Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, in a television interview explained that States will not fund the community policing programme, in reaction to a statement by a Deputy Inspector General of Police, Adeleye Oyebade that States will be responsible for the remuneration of constables to be recruited by the Nigeria Police as community policing officers. Oyebade also stated that all other security arrangements in the country would fall under this security architecture. However, Governor Akeredolu insisted that the regional security outfit in the South West region of Nigeria known as Amotekun, would not be subsumed into the Federal Government’s community policing arrangement, as it has a law under which it operates, which is distinct from the Federal police system.
Earlier on, Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media, Garba Shehu berated many States agitating for State police, saying that they are unable to pay the salaries of workers and should embrace the more sustainable alternative of community policing as facilitated by the Federal Government. Also, it will be recalled that Vice President Yemi Osibanjo announced the Federal Government’s approval of N13.3 billion for community policing on Thursday, August 20, at a meeting of the National Economic Council. He further directed the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), the Finance Minister and the Inspector General of Police to meet and ensure proper utilisation of the funds.
The escalating rate of insecurity has moved leaders in different parts of the country to set up regional security outfits to deal with the peculiarities of the security challenges faced in their respective regions. However, some observers worry that the Federal Government’s community policing structure may be subjected to arbitrary use by governors.