Okey Maduforo 
The resolution by the state and Federal governments to establish State Police could be dead on arrival if the deep seated corruption in the security system is not addressed. To this end there is the need to create a frame work to check mate corrupt practices within the country’s security architecture in order to ensure the success of the State Police.
Retied Deputy Inspector General of Police, Celestine Okoye, who handed down this observation not- ed that it would not stop at State Police noting that the respective Local Government Areas across the country would start the agitation for a local government police.
“It depends on how the state police would be established and if it is based on the way the Federal Police was established it is not going to work. “If the State Police would work and act like the Community Vigilant Groups then there is no need for the local vigilante groups in the states.”
“But bear in mind that once the State Police is established there would be yet another cry for local government police and with local government police there will be no need for the local vigilante security.”
Okoye warned that the only way to ensure the success of State Police was to fight corruption decisively. “We must fight corruption in the system because it is at its peak and this is from top to bottom and from bottom to the top.
“Every aspect of this country has been affected by corruption and the latest one now is the country’s Judiciary and if corruption is not taken care of the issue and aim of establishing the State Police would have been defeated before it takes off.
“This is because establishing State Police without fighting corruption is more of opening up another channel for corruption and we must find out determine the modalities for recruiting the personnel and their mode of operation that would be devoid of corruption.”
“Also, let us determine how the Federal and state Police would function and their limitations at the operational level for us to achieve the desired objective,” he said.
