Despite Plateau State Governor Barr. Caleb Mutfwang being in the forefront of advocating for the creation of state police, one of his former allies, Brig. Gen. John Sura (Rtd), has joined his voice to those who are opposed to the concept.
In the past few weeks, prominent political figures in the state, including the lawmaker representing Pankshin/Kanam/Kanke Federal Constituency in the House of Assembly, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, had all expressed their opposition to the idea of having a state police, arguing that the governors would abuse it and use the operatives against their political opponents.
In an interview with selected journalists in Jos on Saturday, Gen. Sura, who recently dumped the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the All Progressives Congress, APC, said he is vehemently opposed to the idea of having a state police in Plateau.
He said there are other regular security outfits like the Joint Task Force Operation Enduring Peace, OPEP, set up by the Nigerian Army as well as the Federal Government approved security outfit, Operation Rainbow which was certified to carry arms, as well as the Nigeria Police Force which should be enough to provide security in the state and tackle insecurity adequately.
According to Sura, with these outfits, Plateau State has no business seeking state police, arguing that the recruitment process would not only be abused but that the government would use the operatives as tools of intimidation against perceived enemies.
“Most governors have different security outfits that run within their state governments. Are you looking at South-East? The ECN is there. Are you looking at South-West? Amotekun is there.
“Plateau State has the one that was given by the federal government, Operation Rainbow, which is certified with some level of equipment. So, Plateau State has no business crying out for anything called state police,” Sura said in the interview.
The retired Army general emphasized that if Operation Rainbow is well equipped and well managed, the outfit can be judiciously used to serve the purpose of security required from a state police.
He insisted that the insecurity and violence witnessed in Plateau have gone beyond the recruitment of locals into a state police, but a situation that needs a neutral mechanism for recruiting personnel and not at the instance of a sitting governor.
Sura buttressed that there are many submissions from different quarters for and against the creation of a state police, such an outfit is not needed in Plateau because the processes would be abused.
He, however, opined that if the country decides to go for state police, the recruitment of the personnel must not be done by the state governors because they will only recruit their loyalists and people from their parties whom they will use against opponents during elections.
He also pointed out that the toxic nature of politics in the state is a pointer to the fact that if there is state police, the personnel will be on the prowl seeking out those who are against the government and intimidating them.
