Nigerian entrepreneur and economist Atedo Peterside has identified the need for state police by stating that Nigerians are afraid to share security intelligence about insurgents to the security agents.
Speaking during a discussion about state police on Channels TV from 15:44, Peterside used the story o demonstrate the importance of local knowledge in law enforcement. “A thief was being chased by the police and when he jumped into the water. The police left and didn’t go after him into the water because they couldn’t swim. If it was a community policeman, as he jumped into the water, the police would jump into the water after him as well to get him. You can not remove local knowledge from policing,” he said.
Peterside explained how local connections improve intelligence gathering and community cooperation with law enforcement. “And also, when you have local knowledge and local connections, you get better informants. People have connections. They have families, so they can get information more easily. People are even afraid in Nigeria to give information to the security agencies, they are afraid to be informants, because you’re giving information to a stranger. The fear is that he will not keep your own name confidential. So our policing is handicapped,” he stated.
The economist argued that concerns about governors misusing state police should not prevent implementation of the system. Peterside noted that the centralized federal police deployed by the president has failed to combat insurgency and kidnap across Nigeria effectively.
He urged Nigerians to accept the risks associated with state governors controlling state police forces, emphasizing that every system—regardless of how well-designed—has inherent advantages and disadvantages that must be balanced against current security failures. View, More,
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