‘It should have happened before now’ – Gov Alia backs state police

Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has thrown his weight behind the creation of state police in Nigeria to curtail the upsurge of insecurity confronting Nigeria.

Alia made his position known on Thursday during an interview on Arise Television, where he said that the state policing should have begun before now.

According to him, Nigeria deserves state policing because the Federal police are already overstretched, noting that there is so much work to be done, and the military does not fully understand certain terrains.

“State policing should have begun long before now. If we have our state police with the power to command and direct, it will be more beneficial.

“So I think it is ideal. I know that the National Assembly has done some bit of that, and the State Assemblies are also playing their own role and making it a continuum of conversation.

“It’s even going to be more improved on what people are thinking, the fears people are having, or the reservations they’re having on the establishment of the state policing.

“I have been one of the first advocates of state policing way before the national conversation began.

“As it is said, who feels it knows it all. For us in Benue State, we felt it, we know what it is, we understand insecurity, we understand what it means for some help, either to be on the way or little help that came our way.

“So the establishment of state police is something ideal that could have been done like yesterday,” he said.