State police could better tackle rural violence in Nigeria
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Punch
Joseph Ochogwu, director-general of Nigeria’s Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, says state police could improve intelligence and responses to rural violence. He calls for professional safeguards, adequate funding and independent oversight to prevent abuses, according to Punch.
State police could help reduce farmer-herder conflicts and rural banditry in Nigeria by improving intelligence, community relations and response times, Joseph Ochogwu, director-general of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, said on Thursday at a conference in Abuja organised by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation for West Africa.
Joseph Ochogwu warned, however, that decentralising the police must be based on professional standards, adequate funding and effective oversight. He cautioned against political interference, human rights violations and the persecution of minority groups, while noting that unemployment, economic inequalities, weak public services and the circulation of weapons also fuel insecurity.
A constitutional amendment bill establishing decentralised policing was approved by more than 30 state assemblies on Thursday, after passing the constitutional threshold of 24 assemblies on 23 October. Senate Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said the bill could be passed before the end of December, according to Punch. This step follows approval of local policing by about 30 Nigerian states, announced on 28 October.
