Former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo has shared a troubling experience from Nigeria’s past while calling for the return of state police to help improve security.
In a video shared by TV Platinum, speaking at a book launch, Obasanjo explained that Nigeria once removed local policing systems because they were being abused for political purposes. According to him, some individuals took advantage of local police by framing their political opponents for crimes they did not commit.
He recalled personally seeing cases where people moved dead bodies from other locations and placed them in the homes of their rivals. This led to the arrest of innocent individuals, and in at least one situation, it resulted in execution. These kinds of incidents, he said, were a major reason Nigeria shifted to a centralized national police system.
However, Obasanjo believes it may be time to reconsider that decision. He pointed out that countries like Colombia, which once made a similar move to centralize policing, later returned to local policing when faced with serious security threats such as terrorism and drug-related crimes.
He argued that local police officers often understand their communities better and can respond more effectively to threats on the ground. With Nigeria currently dealing with insecurity, he suggested that bringing back state police could help improve safety across the country.
In his words, “I witnessed people bringing dead bodies from other places to the backyards of their political adversary. And then getting their political adversary arrested. And in fact, in one case the political adversary was executed….See More
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