Terrorism: Onanuga canvasses for state police

A veteran journalist, Adebayo Onanuga, on Tuesday advocated for the establishment of state police as solution to terrorism in the country.
Onanuga told the News Agency of Nigeria in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State that the security challenges the country is facing had heightened the need for the creation of state police.
He, therefore, urged the National Assembly to create an enabling environment for the establishment of state or community police to address the security challenges.
According to him, community policing will make it easier to stop crime at its roots and assist in addressing the country’s security issues.
He said: “State or community police will have great impact as it has been tested and practiced in other countries.
“So our government should adopt the idea as well.
“Our greatest challenge now is that of security and it is for us to dig deep as a nation on how to address this issue.
“I think it is illogical and unfounded, the fear that the creation of state police will eventually be abused.
“We must find the courage to do something new to bring collaborative capacity to law enforcement.”
Onanuga noted that the police, currently, were “being strategically funded by state governments.
“Eventually, the system will just have to give way for state police, especially if we are to win the war against terrorism.”
NAN reports that Onanuga has been the Publisher, Managing Director and Editor-In-Chief of The News and A.M/P.M newspapers since 1993.