"Restructuring Without Accountability is a Multiplied Problem": Femi Falana, SAN, Issues Strict Warnings Over State Police Bill
Appearing on Channels TV's Politics Today, renowned human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, delivered an exacting critique of the newly passed National Assembly State Police Bill.
While acknowledging that the worsening wave of kidnappings and armed banditry has driven a public desire for decentralized law enforcement, Falana warned that shifting names from local outfits to state commands is not a magic bullet. He cautioned that rewriting structural hierarchies without deep institutional accountability, funding guarantees, and explicit civil rights safeguards risks plunging the country back into the political weaponization of policing seen during the First Republic.
Chronological Regress: The Ghost of the First Republic
Falana reminded viewers that a dual-policing system is not an untried novelty in Nigerian history. Between 1960 and 1966, regional administrations deployed localized forces—popularly referred to as the Yandoka in the North and the Olopa in the West.
The system was ultimately abolished due to gross human rights violations, where regional leaders systematically weaponized local forces to crush political opposition. Falana noted that the current legislative draft entirely glosses over these structural lessons.
"The bill passed by both chambers of the National Assembly is very, very sketchy," Falana observed. "Other than saying that the governors will appoint state commissioners, where do we go from there? How will they be appointed? Where are the checks and balances? How are you going to fund and equip the police force by some state governments that can hardly pay salaries and pensions? The problems that led to the abolition of the dual policing system—have they been taken care of? I haven't seen any sign."
Satellites vs. Telephones: Missing the Real Security Crisis
The legal icon emphasized that security cannot be achieved merely by building more police stations or expanding personnel numbers while ignoring social security and technological disparities.
He highlighted a severe technological asymmetry where criminal cartels leverage advanced tracking and coordination systems, while official state personnel remain underfunded, undertrained, and under-equipped.
"We always reduce the problem of insecurity to security architecture and infrastructure," Falana argued. "Why are more young men taking to criminality? Why are we not talking of creating employment for young people or giving assistance to Nigerians who are extremely poor or dimensionally poor? Unless you address this problem holistically, creating a state police will not address the crisis. The criminals operate at a higher level technology-wise while we are monitoring them with telephones. They have moved to satellite levels."
Published by Qubes Magazine
Founder & Editor-in-Chief: Okwudili Onyido
Stay informed and ahead with breaking news, entertainment, and exclusive updates from Qubes Magazine—your trusted source for digital journalism.
Contact: info@qubesmagazine.com.ng
© 2026 Qubes Magazine. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from the publisher.
Post a Comment