Darius Ishaku, the Governor of Taraba State, has stated that in order to overcome insecurity, Nigeria must embrace local policing.
During a live interview on Television Continental’s “Journalist Hangout” program on Monday, Ishaku said this about his challenges as state governor.
He said, “We must tell ourselves the truth: what will work will work and what will not work will not.
“We say we are copying the American constitution, but they have America’s local government, state, and federal police. This is to ensure that what is too big for the local police would be handled by the states’ and bigger issues than her capacity are handled by the federal police.
“But I don’t know whose wisdom was used in drafting our constitution. They removed that and put the police under the Federal Government.”
According to Ishaku, People often believe that one of the reasons for not retaining police under state control is because governors use them as weapons against their opponents.
He added, “But are they not still misusing it at the federal level? I conducted elections, and in my local government, I was defeated. Someone was asking me why I let that happen. I had to tell them to leave it; it was the people’s choice. A lot of people were shocked.
“We have to mature into the system we have created. For instance, if there was an issue in the state and you, as the chief executive, cannot order the police, they have to receive an order from someone who receives an order from somewhere else; all these take time.
“The only solution to insecurity is to decentralise the police, embrace local police. Our local police marshals have started operations in Taraba state, and we have over 2000 marshals distributed across the states. You can call them the Taraba Amotekuns’. They have started operations, and we are willing to train more. If you see them dressed, you’d love them.”
When asked about his obstacles, Ishaku described his time as governor as “bitter, sour, and sweet”.
Ishaku said, “It has been bitter because I never imagined seeing the crisis and deaths I saw, and I pray that I never see such again. You’d see situations where an innocent man, his wife, and children would be eating, and someone would wipe them out of existence.
“And you’re here sitting as the executive governor of the state, and there is nothing you can do about it; this makes me bitter because it is a very sad state.”
