General Ishola Williams, a retired military officer, has voiced strong support for the establishment of state police as a solution to Nigeria’s widespread security issues, including kidnapping and banditry.
During an appearance on “Inside Sources with Laolu Akande,” a socio-political program aired on Channels Television, General Williams argued that the current structure of the Nigeria Police Force is outdated and ineffective, and should be dismantled.
“If you have been doing something for over 10 years and it is not working, you should change tactics,” General Williams stated. “If you don’t change the doctrine and the tactics, you will never be able to deal with the problem.”
The octogenarian emphasized that public safety should be managed from the ground up, advocating for state and local government police forces as a more effective means of crime prevention. “Crime prevention is a much better system than crime control. That is why we need state police and local government police,” he explained. “Kidnappings happen in communities, so we need policing at that level.”
General Williams proposed replacing the current Nigerian Police Force with a Crime Intelligence and Criminal Agency, akin to the FBI in the United States, alongside a robust para-military police force. “People forget that the mobile police was created as a para-military police. With a good para-military police and border agencies, you don’t need the military; the military can then focus on the North-East,” he said.
He also criticized the establishment of many security agencies, suggesting they were created more for job creation than for functionality and efficiency. Until this issue is addressed, he warned, the desired security solutions will remain unattainable.