Amid the growing discussions over state police, a member of the House of Representatives, Joshua Obika, has called for the creation of a police force for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as a pilot phase, citing rising insecurity and overstretched infrastructure in Abuja.
Obika, while speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme on Thursday, said the original security structure envisioned for Abuja had been overwhelmed due to the influx of people from across the country seeking safety.
“Mr President, by the Constitution, is the governor of Abuja; the National Assembly is the legislative assembly of the FCT. So, we don’t need the two-thirds state assembly confirmation before we can enact the law that will put FCT policing in place. I am suggesting we use the FCt as a pilot state to initiate this programme.
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“People now feel Abuja is the safest place in Nigeria, and because of this influx of people, the good and the bad are coming in at the same time. For me, the security architecture in Abuja has been overwhelmed,” he said.
The lawmaker, who represents Abuja Municipal/Bwari Federal Constituency, noted that many rural communities in the FCT lacked police presence, making them potential hideouts for criminals.
He added that modern technology was largely missing.
Proposing a funding model, Obika suggested earmarking a small percentage of Abuja’s internally generated revenue.
“I don’t think the FCT command has any drones; you can only use modern technology to tackle these kinds of problems. The police need funding.
“The FCT generates about ₦1.8 trillion internally. We can use about two per cent of the revenue for the FCT’s independent police force. A lot can be achieved through that we can have more vehicles, recruit more men, and use modern technology to combat crime,” he explained.
His call comes as President Bola Tinubu recently expressed readiness to consider state police across the country, noting that some states required security outfits familiar with local terrain and culture.
The President, speaking when he received a delegation of prominent citizens of Katsina State led by Governor Dikko Umaru Radda at the State House on Tuesday, said the federal government would consider the operations of a state police, and further equip recently deployed forest guards.
President Tinubu, who decried the politicisation of proposed state police, said the exigencies of security in some states will require the deployment of outfits that understand the terrain and the peculiar culture of the people and can easily network at the grassroots.
