An ex-Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Raimi Odofin, on Thursday said the country was mature enough for the creation of state police to strengthen machinery for tackling security challenges.

Odofin told News Agency of Nigeria in Ibadan that the number of policemen in the country was inadequate for the recurring security challenges across the nation.

Odofin said that it was time for Nigerians to accept the creation of state police in spite of the fear that state governors would abuse it.

“The state governors, too, must first look at the financial implication of having state police and should restrain from abusing the development.

“Creation of the state police is not a bad idea but the governors should be mature enough when the police will be under them,” he said.

He said that national police was very effective in the past, but that due to poor management of resources it had begun to face a lot of challenges.

“In the past, the police had so many vehicles, communication equipment, guns but now, these things are no longer there as it supposed to be.

“The police as a security agency should not depend on donation from individuals and corporate organisations,” he said.

Nigeria Governors’ Forum had on Monday thrown its weight behind the Presidency on the decentralisation of the police force in the country.

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