Human Rights groups Campaign for Democracy (CD) in South East and Human Rights, Liberty Access and Peace Defenders Foundation (HURIDE) have rejected the plan by Federal Government and Governors to establish State Police.
The groups stated that the reason to address the increasing insecurity nationwide was a plot to create private militia groups for political gains, at the expense of the masses.
In a statement following their gathering, Dede Uzor, the leader of the groups, accused Governors of intending to deploy State Police against their “political adversaries.”
The groups expressed concern over the Governors’ utilization of taskforce squads or hired individuals to suppress, assault, injure, and in severe instances, even kill perceived political opponents and ordinary citizens.
He said, “Most Governors refused to conduct Local Government elections. Those who conducted just did it for formality. Nothing is working. They are still controlling the resources of their Local Governments.
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“They just fix their cronies there and use the money for themselves, not for the public.
“They even deployed private militia now in a negative way; what of when the constitution is amended to give them some degree of power to control State Police?
“If the State Police becomes imperative to help curb insecurity, it should be tailored in a manner that they will still take orders from Abuja, saying that after all, some of these insecurities in various parts of the country were created by Governors because of their Political ambitions.”
