STATE POLICE: People’s Protection or Political Weapon? | Chuks Akunna

Nigeria increasingly appears to agree on the need for State Police. But one question remains: who will protect State Police from political abuse? Will decentralising policing bring security closer to the people, or place another powerful instrument in the hands of state governors? In this edition of The Policy Room — Beyond The Headlines, host Lemmy Ughegbe, Ph.D sits down with Chuks Akunna, Executive Director of Authority Newspaper, for a searching conversation on one of Nigeria’s most consequential security and constitutional questions. The conversation moves beyond whether Nigeria needs State Police to the harder questions: What safeguards can prevent governors from turning State Police into political enforcers? Who appoints and removes State Police Commissioners? Who investigates abuse? What happens when federal and state police commands clash? And can Nigeria build a decentralised police system without decentralising impunity? Watch the full conversation and tell us what you think. Should Nigeria establish State Police? And if so, what safeguards must come first? Subscribe to @ThePolicyRoomNG The Policy Room — Beyond The Headlines Conversation. Policy. Progress. #ThePolicyRoom #StatePolice #Nigeria #Security #PoliceReform #ChuksAkunna #BeyondTheHeadlines#APC #NDC #ADC #CNPP