Opinion
Reforming Police For Greater Productivity
Nigeria’s democracy has scored a notable point vis-à-vis the mantra, “power belongs to the people”. Following intensive protests by youths, human rights activists and other concerned persons over excesses of the Nigeria Police particularly the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), the federal government through the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, announced the proscription of SARS across the country. Without a doubt, the word ‘SARS’ usually put criminals to extreme fear, unfortunately, their excesses; extrajudicial killings and bullying of innocent citizens for pecuniary interests, made it notorious.
Thus, credit should go to Nigerian youths and masses for speaking out and standing against the vices. Equally, President Muhammadu Buhari deserves encomium for listening to the voice of the masses as a sensitive and proficient leader. Giving ears to the agitations of the governed is an essential attribute of leadership which the President has inarguably demonstrated.
By the concept of democracy, both the leaders and the led are stakeholders in decision-making. This concept created the legislative arm of government which consists of persons elected by the people from all the constituents as their representatives. By such arrangement, the masses are indirectly part of the decision-making albeit in representative capacity. But, by open protest, they make their voices to be heard directly with grievances made known to the relevant authorities. Thus, protests, however peaceful, remain a civil and robust tool to communicate to the government by the oppressed masses.
President Buhari immediately assured that disbanding SARS is merely a first step that a holistic reform is on the way. Thus, the Police helmsman after announcing the ban of SARS, unveiled a new squad, Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) as a replacement. The IGP also outlined measures to overhaul the Police for productivity and service-delivery. Amongst these measures is a constitution of special committee to comprise Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and other relevant groups to monitor operations of the new outfit, SWAT. This is commendable.
However, an efficient SWAT that will make the needed difference requires a robust, critical measure that can administratively monitor their operations by default. Instructively, any police officer attached to SWAT must operate under a superior officer or team leader who must file a daily written report to Divisional Police Officers in designated areas for onward transmission to Area Commands. This will ensure that no SWAT officer operates outside his division or without formal approval from office. Again, SWAT officers not on duty have no business with guns or firearms. In other words, any actions by police officers that didn’t reflect in the daily written report on a particular day will be considered as illegal operations.
The Area Commanders should be able to translate these reports into digital information management system such that superiors, including the IGP, can access the reports from his office to avoid fabricating reports to cover up illegal operations by any officer if the issues eventually are reported for investigation. This measure has put excesses of the armed forces to checks as Army, Air Force and Navy officers can only have access to firearms when authorised and with a defined approved mission and, above all, under a team leader who takes responsibility for actions of subordinates.
Now, the challenge is that to adopt digital information management system is capital-intensive. To migrate to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) requires megabucks. In fact, without adequate funding of the Police, moving from SARS to SWAT or whatever nomenclature may not bring any meaningful difference or dividends the masses intend to see. Police, whether SARS, SWAT or conventional Police provide for daily running or operations at their various divisions. This is a blunder and must be critically addressed.
In other words, maintenances at police stations, operations vehicles and many other necessities are provided from bribes and inducements to police officers, including SARS on duty posts, and their locations determine volumes to submit to superiors. Then, to secure their duty posts if ‘lucrative’, money will always have to change hands with superiors to avoid transfer. Suffice it to say that many official tasks are being handled with funds generated from kickbacks, bribes and all manner of corrupt practices at the detriment of the helpless masses. This, therefore, suggests that police brutality and excesses may never end without dealing with the matter from the base.
Thus, a robust and effective reform of the Police has huge financial implications. To adequately fund all police stations across the nation and provide good remuneration for its workforce demands that funds must be created. And one way to create the needed funds is to block the leakages in the country. A major leakage in the country that continues to drain the treasury is the National Assembly that is running a bicameral legislature for a developing nation that still struggles to put basic infrastructure in place.
The Senate which is the upper chamber performs exactly same tasks as the lower chamber; House of Representatives, and this demands critical review particularly now the nation is facing Covid-19 lockdown resultant effects like many other countries around the world. Besides, all the states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) run a unicameral legislature; single legislative chamber unlike the National Assembly.
Those thirty-six (36) states in Nigeria that run unicameralism are operating without hitches and, therefore, there is no sensible justification for federal government to continue with bicameral legislature when the tasks can be performed by one chamber. No doubt, the founding fathers borrowed it from developed nations with good intentions, but at the moment, it is not practicable but counterproductive. Maybe, in future, it may be considered all things being equal.
If we conscientiously ponder on the volume of funds required to maintain and run the two chambers that perform same tasks, the results will show that the country is wearing oversized shoes imitating developed nations like USA, United Kingdom etc. We must not imitate developed nations in everything. Let’s look at the size of our treasury first prior to copying other nations’ policies. Despite the height of corruption that thrived during military juntas in Nigeria, many of them were able to put in place some edifying capital projects we use today due to absence of bicameral legislature that gulps hugely from the nation’s treasury.
We must recall that during the tenure of Babatunde Fashola (SAN) as governor of Lagos State, the government created a Security Trust Fund and many observers can attest that, with the improved funding, the Police performed above average in their tasks of protecting lives and property of citizens in the state. So, adequate funding of Police is fundamental. It is when the necessary things are put in place that we can actually know the bad eggs in the Force. But as police officers are always given targets for illicit returns from their duty posts for administrative tasks in their divisions by superiors, it may be difficult to fish out the bad eggs. This is a hidden fact but a major challenge which must be addressed for a realistic and sustainable reform.
Umegboro, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja.
Opinion
Restoring Order, Delivering Good Governance
The political atmosphere in Rivers State has been anything but calm in 2025. Yet, a rare moment of unity was witnessed on Saturday, June 28, when Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, appeared side by side at the funeral of Elder Temple Omezurike Onuoha, Wike’s late uncle. What could have passed for a routine condolence visit evolved into a significant political statement—a symbolic show of reconciliation in a state bruised by deep political strife.
The funeral, attended by dignitaries from across the nation, was more than a moment of shared grief. It became the public reflection of a private peace accord reached earlier at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. There, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu brought together Governor Fubara, Minister Wike, the suspended Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and other lawmakers to chart a new path forward.
For Rivers people, that truce is a beacon of hope. But they are not content with photo opportunities and promises. What they demand now is the immediate lifting of the state of emergency declared in March 2025, and the unconditional reinstatement of Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Dr. Ngozi Odu, and all suspended lawmakers. They insist on the restoration of their democratic mandate.
President Tinubu’s decision to suspend the entire structure of Rivers State’s elected leadership and appoint a sole administrator was a drastic response to a deepening political crisis. While it may have prevented a complete breakdown in governance, it also robbed the people of their voice. That silence must now end.
The administrator, retired naval chief Ibok-Ette Ibas, has managed a caretaker role. But Rivers State cannot thrive under unelected stewardship. Democracy must return—not partially, not symbolically, but fully. President Tinubu has to ensure that the people’s will, expressed through the ballot, is restored in word and deed.
Governor Fubara, who will complete his six-month suspension by September, was elected to serve the people of Rivers, not to be sidelined by political intrigues. His return should not be ceremonial. It should come with the full powers and authority vested in him by the constitution and the mandate of Rivers citizens.
The people’s frustration is understandable. At the heart of the political crisis was a power tussle between loyalists of Fubara and those of Wike. Institutions, particularly the State House of Assembly, became battlegrounds. Attempts were made to impeach Fubara. The situation deteriorated into a full-blown crisis, and governance was nearly brought to its knees.
But the tide must now turn. With the Senate’s approval of a record ?1.485 trillion budget for Rivers State for 2025, a new opportunity has emerged. This budget is not just a fiscal document—it is a blueprint for transformation, allocating ?1.077 trillion for capital projects alone. Yet, without the governor’s reinstatement, its execution remains in doubt.
It is Governor Fubara, and only him, who possesses the people’s mandate to execute this ambitious budget. It is time for him to return to duty with vigor, responsibility, and a renewed sense of urgency. The people expect delivery—on roads, hospitals, schools, and job creation.
Rivers civil servants, recovering from neglect and under appreciation, should also continue to be a top priority. Fubara should continue to ensure timely payment of salaries, address pension issues, and create a more effective, motivated public workforce. This is how governance becomes real in people’s lives.
The “Rivers First” mantra with which Fubara campaigned is now being tested. That slogan should become policy. It must inform every appointment, every contract, every budget decision, and every reform. It must reflect the needs and aspirations of the ordinary Rivers person—not political patrons or vested interests.
Beyond infrastructure and administration, political healing is essential. Governor Fubara and Minister Wike must go beyond temporary peace. They should actively unite their camps and followers to form one strong political family. The future of Rivers cannot be built on division.
Political appointments, both at the Federal and State levels, must reflect a spirit of fairness, tolerance, and inclusivity. The days of political vendettas and exclusive lists must end. Every ethnic group, every gender, and every generation must feel included in the new Rivers project.
Rivers is too diverse to be governed by one faction. Lasting peace can only be built on concessions, maturity, and equity. The people are watching to see if the peace deal will lead to deeper understanding or simply paper over cracks in an already fragile political arrangement.
Wike, now a national figure as Minister of the FCT, has a responsibility to rise above the local fray and support the development of Rivers State. His influence should bring federal attention and investment to the state, not political interference or division.
Likewise, Fubara should lead with restraint, humility, and a focus on service delivery. His return should not be marked by revenge or political purges but by inclusive leadership that welcomes even former adversaries into the process of rebuilding the state.
“The people are no longer interested in power struggles. They want light in their streets, drugs in their hospitals, teachers in their classrooms, and jobs for their children. The politics of ego and entitlement have to give way to governance with purpose.
The appearance of both leaders at the funeral was a glimpse of what unity could look like. That moment should now evolve into a movement-one that prioritizes Rivers State over every personal ambition. Let it be the beginning of true reconciliation and progress.
As September draws near, the Federal government should act decisively to end the state of emergency and reinstate all suspended officials. Rivers State must return to constitutional order and normal democratic processes. This is the minimum requirement of good governance.
The crisis in Rivers has dragged on for too long. The truce is a step forward, but much more is needed. Reinstating Governor Fubara, implementing the ?1.485 trillion budget, and uniting political factions are now the urgent tasks ahead. Rivers people have suffered enough. It is time to restore leadership, rebuild trust, and finally put Rivers first.
By: Amieyeofori Ibim
Amieyeofori Ibim is former Editor of The Tide Newspapers, political analyst and public affairs commentator
Opinion
Checking Herdsmen Rampage
Do the Fulani herdsmen have an expansionists agenda, like their progenitor, Uthman Dan Fodio? Why are they everywhere even the remotest part of other areas in Nigeria harassing, maiming, raping and killing the owners of the land?”
In a swift reaction, The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) decried and strongly condemned the invasion by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
In his denunciation, MOSOP President Fegalo Nsuke described the incident as very unfortunate and deeply troubling, warning against a recurrence of the violence experienced in Benue State. “The killing of yesterday is bad and very unfortunate. We are getting preliminary information about how the herders gained access to the farmland, and it appears some hoodlums may be collecting money and granting access illegally.”
He called on the Hausa community in Rivers State to intervene swiftly to prevent further attacks.
“We want the Hausa community in Rivers State to take urgent action to ensure these issues are resolved”.
But will such appeal and requests end the violent disposition of the Fulani herdsmen? It is not saying something new that the escalating threat and breach of peace across the country by the Fulani herdsmen or those suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, leaves much to be desired in a country that is bedevilled by multi-dimensional challenges and hydra-headed problems.
Some upland Local Government Areas of Rivers State, such as Etche, Omuma, Emohua, Ikwerre, Oyigbo, Abua, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, have severally recounted their ordeals, as herdsmen invaded farmlands, destroyed crops, raped female farmers and killed protestant residents.
Again the wanton destruction of lives and properties which no doubt has overwhelmed the Nigerian Police, makes the clamour for State Police, indispensable. The National Assembly should consider the amendment of the Constitution to allow States to have their Statutory policing agencies.
Opinion
Is Nigeria Democratic Nation?
As insurgency has risen to an all time high in the country were killings has now grown to be a normal daily activity in some part of the nation it may not be safe to say that Nigeria still practices democracy.
Several massacres coming from the Boko Haram and the herdsmen amongst all other insurgencies which have led to the destruction of homes and killing, burning of communities especially in the northern part of the country. All these put together are result of the ethnic battles that are fought between the tribes of Nigeria and this can be witnessed in Benue State where herders and farmers have been in constant clashes for ages. They have experienced nothing but casualties and unrest.
In the month of June 13-14, the Yelwata attack at the Guma Local Government Area by suspected gunmen or herdsmen who stormed the houses of innocent IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) claiming the lives of families, both adults and children estimated to be 200 victims. They were all burnt alive by these unknown gunmen.
This has been recorded as one of the deadliest insurgencies that had happened in recent years. Some security personnel that were trying to fight the unknown gunmen also lost their lives.
Prior to the Yelewata attack, two days before the happening, similar conflict took place in Makurdi on June 11, 2025. 25 people were killed in the State. Even in Plateau State and the Southern Kaduna an attack also took place in the month of June.
All other states that make up the Middle Belt have been experiencing the farmers/herders clash for years now and it has persisted up till recent times, claiming lives of families and children, homes and lands, escalating in 2025 with coordinated assaults.
Various authorities and other villagers who fled for safety also blamed the herdsmen in the State for the attack that happened in Yelwata community.
Ehebha God’stime is an Intern with The Tide.