The Eselu of Iselu kingdom, in Yewa North Local Government area of Ogun State, Oba Akintunde Akinyemi, has said that the country is currently in dire need of genuine democracy and not state police, as being clamoured for by Nigerians.
Furthermore, Oba Akinyemi urged President Bola Tinubu to dialogue with those agitating for the Yoruba nation and not treat them as common criminals.
The monarch said that the country is not ripe for state police, saying that rather, efforts should be concentrated on stabilising and growing the country’s democracy before considering the idea of state police.
The traditional ruler also said that there is every tendency for the governors to use state police as an instrument of political victimisation of their perceived opposition, saying that the existing police should rather be reformed than adopt state police.
Oba Akinyemi disclosed this on Saturday in Abeokuta when he hosted about 146 traditional rulers to mark his birthday
The monarch urged President Tinubu to consider adequate funding and a worthwhile insurance policy for the existing police before decentralising the policing system.
He said, “I agree that Nigeria is not ripe for state police because, when you see it in the US, you will know that policing has to do with transparency, equity, accountability and zero corruption, but in Nigeria today, if you are an APC member and the governor is PDP, the police will act to the instructions of the governor and will be victimising those in the opposition party.
“I think we still need to practice and strengthen this democracy more before we begin to talk about state police.
For now, let us talk about stable electricity because this is the computer age, nobody goes around and starts stopping vehicles to detect criminals. What is rather used to fight crime is technology, but how can this be done without a regular power supply?
“In other words, the president should look into providing adequate funding and insurance to the existing police before decentralising it.
“On the Yoruba nation agitators, I want the president to imbibe the rule of engagement where he will call everybody to a round table, we don’t have to use machine guns, these people are our people, they are our subjects; the president should call all of them together to let them understand that he meant well for the country and the South-West in particular.
