The Importance of State Policing in Nigeria: a Tool for Combating Nigeria’s Contemporary Internal Security Challenges
CHAPTER ONE
Objective of the study
The objective of the study is to find out the importance of state policing in Nigeria: A tool for combating Nigeria’s contemporary internal security challenges. The specific objectives are;
- To evaluate the efficacy of state police as the concrete solution to the nation’s host of security challenges.
- To find out the factors that contribute to insecurity in the country
- Examine connection(s) between police inefficiency and insecurity in Nigeria
- To interrogate the actual readiness of the country to effectively put state police system in place.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Clarification of Concept
Security generally is a crosscutting, and multi-dimensional concept which has, over the last century, been the subject of great debate. However, long before that, the history of mankind was interspersed by the frenzied search for the best way of ensuring the security of people, their property, their territories, their states and their institute among others. In all places and countries, security has been considered as a “first order value” worth preserving. The foreign withstanding, there is no consensus about or agreed general definition of security. This is not surprising because as a social phenomenon, it is always the case which hardly lends itself to common understanding because it is often approached from different perspectives. Some security experts argued that the concept of security ha s always been associated with the safety and survival of the state and its citizens from harm or destruction or from dangerous threats. For some other, security measures the absence of treats to acquire values in a subjective sense, the absence of fear that such values will be attached. Thus a nation is secure to the extent to which it is not in danger of having to sacrifice core values if it wishes to avoid war, and is able, if challenged, to maintain them by victory in such a war (Maulaye, 2006: 17-18). Those conceptions generally hold that the state is the only institution on which primary responsibility and power for the safety of its territory and its people reposes (Zabadi, 2005:3). Therefore for some others, security consists of a functional and interdependent body of supervisory services and institutions. Security is also a situation wherein a person or thing is not exposed to any form of danger or risk of physical or moral aggression, accident, theft or deterioration. Both security and peace are together. The concept of “national security” is often misunderstood (Wolfer, 1962) and elusive (Carey, 2000). It is a strange phenomenon, a subjective “felling”, and therefore relational and relatives, rather than an objective “thing” than can be seen and handled. You cannot touch security – you can only feel secure. If security is something that can only be felt, it must be security from something (a threat of one sort or another). For the state, the most obvious threat is that posed by another state (a threat of invasion of control by another power leading to loss of independence). This is in a manifest in a military threat, or very significantly, in the perception of a threat. This offers an explanation of the fact that in the era of the cold war Great Britain did not feel threatened by the Russia.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought to examine the importance of state policing in Nigeria: A tool for combating Nigeria’s contemporary internal security challenges.
Sources of data collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
- Primary source and
- Secondary source
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment; the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
Population of the study
Population of a study is a group of persons or aggregate items, things the researcher is interested in gathering information relevant to the importance of state policing in Nigeria: A tool for combating Nigeria’s contemporary internal security challenges. Two hundred (200) officers of selected police station in Ibadan were selected randomly by the researcher as the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF DATA
One hundred and sixty (160) questionnaires were distributed and one hundred and forty (133) were returned. This figure was the sample size. Out of the one hundred and thirty-three, only one hundred and twenty (120) were properly responded to. As a result, the researcher used one hundred and twenty for this study when more than 50% of the respondents agree to the questions, the answer is taken as valid for the purpose of this study. In analyzing the data, the approach that will be adopted is to find out the percentage and positive and negative answers to the question posed.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain the importance of state policing in Nigeria: A tool for combating Nigeria’s contemporary internal security challenges
In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of the importance of state policing in Nigeria: A tool for combating Nigeria’s contemporary internal security challenges
Summary
This study was on the importance of state policing in Nigeria: A tool for combating Nigeria’s contemporary internal security challenges. Four objectives were raised which included: To evaluate the efficacy of state police as the concrete solution to the nation’s host of security challenges, to find out the factors that contribute to insecurity in the country, examine connection(s) between police inefficiency and insecurity in Nigeria and to interrogate the actual readiness of the country to effectively put state police system in place. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made up of DPOS, assistant DPOs, superintendents and corporals were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
Conclusion
Issues and challenges of policing in contemporary Nigeria are numerous to be treated in this paper. However, some salient ones are analysed. Basically, policing is essential part of human existence. Therefore, the primary responsibility of police officers and organizations is the protection of citizens by upholding the law and respecting the legally expressed will of the whole community and not a particular party or clique. On the other hand, contemporary policing requires more advanced technological equipment. Thus, budgetary allocation to the police must be increased in order to have access to this modern equipment by the Nigeria Police Force. Additionally, some of the issues and challenges identified must be tackled to have a functional policing in this century. However, the Nigeria Police must be professionalized. Training and education are the two key ingredients of professionalism in policing. The major function of the police is to fight crime and there is greater hope in professionalizing the Nigeria Police by emphasizing that role. Finally, much still needs to be done towards changing the public perception of the police. Thus, concerted efforts at drastic reformation of the Nigerian Police will help it earn a more positive image in the society
Recommendation
Sensitization programmes should be carried out through organized community policing meetings with the public in order to educate the members of the public on how community policing works and how to improve good relationship with the police
The implementation of community policing programme should be beyond mere rhetoric. Therefore, the government should allocate more funds and resources to support the operations of community poling. Moreover, more motor vehicles and other security gadgets should be procured to enhance police patrol.
References
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