By Festus Ahon
UGHELLI— THE establishment of state and local police force has been identified as the solution to the spate of kidnapping in the country, especially in the South-South and South East.

Chief Meshack Anuku, a lawyer and Supervisory Councillor for Environment in Ughelii North Local Government Area of Delta State, yesterday, said the constitution should be amended to empower the states and local government areas to have their own police,  since the federal police have failed in their duty to secure the lives and property of Nigerians.

Anuku said, “they (National Assembly) should go further to amend the constitution so that there would be state and local police as it were before now.

“The issues of kidnapping and armed robbery are becoming a national embarrassment, but if the National Assembly can allow the creation of the police at the state and local levels, it will check these issues.”

He described the fear that the state Governors would become too powerful with the state police as unfounded. “The constitution which will create the state police will also guarantee the freedom of citizens of the country and of course, they should put a clause in the law, which would checkmate the powers of state police and  give citizens automatic remedy when detained beyond certain hours,” he said.

While advocating for the removal of the immunity clause in the 1999 constitution for the President, Vice President, Governors and their deputies, he explained that it would encourage transparency and accountability.