The Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun has given reasons why Nigeria is not yet ready for the establishment of state police.
Egebtokun who on Monday, was speaking through an Assistant Inspector-General Police, Ben Okolo, at the national dialogue on state policing, held in Abuja, said the existence of state police could worsen ethnic tension in the states of federation.
He said state police would lead to multiple command structures in the states and governors could abuse it by using it for political gains.
Egbetokun advised that Nigeria should rather merge the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to form a department in the Police Force.
He also called for an increase in the budgetary allocation to the police while asking for a yearly recruitment of about 30,000 police personnel into the Force annually to meet the UN requirements for modern policing.