TheCable

Adewole Adebayo, presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), says he has what it takes to make Nigeria’s police system “effective”.

Adebayo spoke on Sunday at the town hall series for presidential candidates organised by ARISE TV in collaboration with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD).

The presidential candidate said the current police system is designed to favour the rich, hence it should be restructured.

“The two steps to take to eliminate crime is to eliminate crime within government. That is the hardest thing to do in Nigeria,” he said.

“One of the reasons why we don’t have an efficient police system is that if we have an efficient police system, half of those who are in the government will be in jail.

“So, it is not in the interest of the government as it is today to have effective police. But they need the police for very important persons (VIPs) protection. So, I will make that difference.”

The SDP presidential candidate added that if elected he will ensure that the police and judiciary are out of the control of politicians.

“The first thing for me as president is to ensure that I deliver the federal mandate,” he said.

“The second stage is for long-term peace in the country. This is to talk to Nigerians, especially those in parliament at the federal and state level, to see where we can create a system where the policing is done at the level closest to where the crime is.

“The most important thing that should happen in this country today is that law enforcement and rule of law must go away from the hand of the government to a police and judicial system that is independent of the government. That is the mechanism that I will put in place,” he said.