The Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Ben Okolo, who represented the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun at a public dialogue on state police on Monday, has clarified a statement credited to him on the matter which has drawn reactions from many quarters.

At a briefing at the Force Headquarters on Tuesday, Okolo said his statement at the public dialogue a day before that “Nigeria is not ready for a decentralised police force” was a personal view and does not reflect the stance of the police force.

According to him, the position of the force will soon be made known.

Okolo had expressly said he was representing the IGP at the national dialogue on state police held in Abuja on Monday, saying that the country is not yet “mature” for state police despite Nigeria’s myriad of security challenges.

He had also suggested that the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to become departments under the Force.

However, President Bola Tinubu, represented by his Vice Kashim Shettima, said his administration is committed to reforming the country’s policing system for better security of the nation.

Tinubu was not the only one who backed reforms of the country’s policing system. The Minister of Police Affairs Ibrahim Gaidam’s opinion on the matter was at variance with the IGP.

He argued that a decentralised police system would work better for the country and reduce the crime rate.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan also opined that despite the challenges that come with the concept, state police has become “non-negotiable”, a view shared by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar.