Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, revealed that the proposed state police system should be crafted strictly to combat criminality, not to serve political interests.
Speaking during an interview on TVC on Saturday, following a meeting of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) and the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council, Sani dismissed concerns that governors could abuse state police structures, saying strong legislation would prevent such misuse.
“The issue of fears. When you are crafting a law, it depends on the crafters of the law,”;; he said.
“There cannot be any abuse if this law is crafted in such a way that won’t allow governors to abuse it. That is how to address it.”;;
Sani emphasized that the proposed legislation should be explicit in restricting the role of state police to fighting crime and ensuring public safety, not settling political scores.
“The crafters of that bill can make it clear that the only focus should be on criminalities, not on political issues,”;; he added.
“Let’s relegate the issue of politics and address insecurity.”;;
The governor argued that addressing security challenges is fundamental to achieving any meaningful development at the state level, including healthcare, education, and infrastructure.
“The issue of security is very important when we are talking about healthcare, education, and infrastructure,”;; he said.
“They cannot be possible when there is insecurity. Don’t talk about naira and kobo when we are talking about saving the lives of our people. Let’s leave the issues of funding. We must fund it.”;;
Sani’s remarks come amid growing calls by northern leaders for the National Assembly to expedite the passage of a bill that would transfer policing from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list, paving the way for state police.
