Lagos security fund boss seeks state police

To ensure effective policing in Nigeria, the Executive Secretary of Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), Dr Abdurrazaq Balogun, has called for state police across the federation.

Making the call in Lagos yesterday, Balogun stated that it was an “aberration” for Nigeria to practice federalism without allowing states to handle their policing system.

Balogun, who spoke in Lagos yesterday while addressing journalists on the achievements of and challenges facing the Trust Fund, stated that lack of state police has made almost impossible by state governments to implement laws, as they do not control the nation’s police apparatus in their domain.

The LSSTF stated that it was high time for members of the National Assembly to make laws that would allow states to control policing system in their states, adding that Lagos State was ready in all ramifications to have a state police, if the law allows it.

Although the notion of state police has always dominated the national discourse, the Federal Government has always been hesitant to allow states to operate such system , for fear of misuse by states. Such deadlock made the Lagos State Government to establish LSSTF- a public private security fund- in 2007.