The Executive Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike says the establishment of state police would be a right step to take, in addressing the challenges of insecurity in Nigeria.
Governor Wike, a leading Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) presidential aspirant, made the statement on Friday in Jalingo, during his meeting with delegates of the party from Taraba State.
“When bandits hear my name, they will run because they know I will take the war to them. I will be the commander- in-chief in action.
“There are no two ways about it, the federal government cannot stop this insecurity, if we don’t have state police. We must have state police, having a state police does not mean you will not have a federal police.
“All over the federal system, even Councils have their own police so that you employ people who know the environment. You cannot take a stranger to Mambila, and expect him to perform wonders. It will take him years to understand the place. You can’t take a stranger and go to Donga or Chanchangi.
“We need people who know the environment so they will be able to take care of the place. If federal offences are committed, the federal police should handle them. If they are state offences, the state police should handle them. So, one key solution to the challenge of insecurity in Nigeria is to have state police,” he said.
He explained that the beauty of establishing the state police is to ensure that people who are indigenous to an area are engaged in policing their environment.
Speaking further, he told the delegates that he was presenting himself to them to be given the presidential ticket to fly the party’s flag in the 2023 general elections, because he was prepared to “end the many troubles facing Nigeria”.
According to him, Nigeria needs a leader who is forthright, speaks the truth always, and who can competently be the commander-in-chief who goes to the field where Nigerians can relate their daily experiences.
“The one problem that our (PDP) government must solve is to bring down the level of insecurity in the country; otherwise there is no way the economy can grow.
He decried the incidence of bomb blasts in parts of the country as well as the operations of Boko Haram terrorists and bandits that had resulted in the death of many Nigerians, saying he was poised to successfully tackle them.
Similarly, Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State also stressed the need for the creation of state police. He decried the state of insecurity in Nigeria and expressed optimism that if the PDP is returned to power in 2023, the party would restore the country’s lost glory.
“He (Wike) speaks the truth, he fears nobody, and he is a workaholic. You have seen how he has turned Rivers State to a working site. We welcome him. We know what he has said; if God permits, he will do it.
“Hunger doesn’t know East, South or West. Kidnapping doesn’t know South, East or West. Security is security. If there is no security, there is no economy. If there is no economy, the country is not existing.” he said.
