The Benue State Government has reaffirmed its support for the establishment of state police, with Governor Hyacinth Alia declaring the move a necessary step toward strengthening security at the sub-national level.
Alia made the position known on Tuesday during the flag-off of a six-day training programme for 300 personnel of the Benue State Civil Protection Guards (BSCPGs), held at the firing range in Ikpayongo, Gwer-East Local Government Area.
The training, organised by the Kukah Centre in collaboration with the state government, is designed to enhance the operational framework and capacity of the state’s security outfit.
Represented by his deputy, Sam Ode, the governor described state policing as an idea whose time has come, stressing the need for governors to exercise practical control over security structures in their states.
“The conversation about state policing, as contentious as it is, is a matter whose time has come. And as we approach the constitutional changes that will make that possible, I think Benue is in full support of state policing,” he said.
Highlighting ongoing federal efforts, he added, “The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is working seriously on a legal framework to establish state policing. This is devolution of powers.
“We are a federating nation and federating units should be able to have self-determination on issues of security. So when we talk about the governors being Chief Security Officers of their states, it shouldn’t just be in theory, it should be in practice.
“And so we should be able to have a police structure that the state can control, for efficient policing and, of course, for the security of the state.”
Alia also addressed concerns that state police could be weaponised against political opponents, assuring stakeholders of safeguards against such abuse.
Earlier, the Special Adviser on Security and Internal Affairs, Joseph Har, disclosed that the state had already trained 5,000 personnel, positioning Benue as a frontrunner in the push for decentralised policing.
“As far as Nigeria is concerned, Benue State is leading on the issue of state policing, and others are following, having trained 5,000 people with a good training manual that is available, and now the Kukah Centre has come to strengthen the function. You don’t build on nothing; you cannot strengthen what does not exist,” he said.
He noted that the Civil Protection Guards are strategically deployed across council wards to serve as first responders, complementing conventional security agencies.
“As you are aware, the conventional security — military, police, paramilitary — cannot be everywhere, but these people are in every council ward, so we are going to be first responders in every place and raise flags for the conventional security. They are there to respond to issues before the conventional security, and with their presence, they will support the conventional security,” Har added.
Project Manager of the Kukah Centre, Terseer Bamber, explained that the training followed extensive stakeholder engagements and the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) aligned with the law establishing the outfit.
“We started with stakeholder engagements. We moved from there to signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Benue State Government, which gave us the impetus to access the law establishing the security outfit.
“And it led to developing the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), and today we are here to train the personnel of the guards based on the SOP that was developed.
“At the end of the training, we will have a more resilient BSCPGs, who understand their mandate, who understand the confines of the constitution, and who will also be positioned to deliver their mandate within the confines of the law. That way, we would have contributed to strengthening peace and resilience here in Benue State and Nigeria in general,” Bamber said.
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