A former federal lawmaker, Senator Ita Enang, on Sunday urged President Bola Tinubu to speed up the process of birthing State Police by sending an executive bill to the National Assembly.
Enang who was in the 7th National Assembly, said President Tinubu should direct the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to prepare an executive bill on state police and forward it to the National Assembly for it to be treated expeditiously as a stand-alone executive bill.
Enang gave the opinion on a national television prime time program, Sunday Politics on Channels TV monitored by our reporter.
He said “What I suggest Mr President should do. We should not wait for the National Assembly to finish the constitutional amendment process; we should not allow it to be part of those matters that will be considered by the Senate or the joint session of the National Assembly.
“Mr President should direct the Attorney General of the Federation to prepare an executive bill and forward it to the National Assembly so that it will be treated as a stand-alone executive bill on state police.”
He said the executive bill should spell out the limitations of the functions of state police to federal police.
Enang said though he opposed the idea of the creation of state police years back because he feared that state governors would abuse it, he now discovers that state police is the only solution to the multifarious security challenges like banditry and kidnapping in Nigeria. He blamed the food crisis currently ravaging the country on Insecurity.
“The time is now for us to voluntarily have state police. The food crisis we have is an insecurity problem,” the lawyer turned politician stated.
According to the former federal lawmaker, because of what is happening and the way it is affecting the economy, especially food, the President should consider the situation as a state of national emergency.
He advised that state police should incorporate state-owned security outfits like Amotekun, Ebube-Agu, amongst others.
Enang also called for the abolition of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) once state police is set up, calling the Corps an unnecessary addition to the number of security agencies in the country.
