In this interview with MyNigeria, the National Coordinator of the Human Rights Writers' Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), Emmanuel Onwubiko, commended the Governor of Anambra State, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, for setting up a new security outfit, Agunechemba, to curb the rising insecurity in the state. He also allayed fears that the outfit could be used against political opponents.

What do you think about the new security outfit, Agunechemba, launched in Anambra State to curb insecurity?

It's within the right of the state government to set up such a body. The Anambra State House of Assembly must have passed a legal framework to support such a security outfit. It's an appropriate step but the operatives of the new security outfit need to be given adequate training and they need to be well-equipped because the criminals, hoodlums and terrorists are going to battle. If you give them local Dane guns, they won't achieve anything with them. They also need to abide by regulations.

Don't you think the new security outfit might go the way of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) and Ebubeagu that were launched a few years ago?

It is not the same thing. Every state set up its security apparatus to go after terrorists and criminals. I don't think Ebubeagu was set up in Anambra. It was set up in Ebonyi and Imo states. There's nothing wrong in any state setting up a security outfit to go after criminals and terrorists. What journalists should be talking about is the illegalities going on in Kano and other parts of the north where you have Islamic police. We are not supposed to have a religious police anywhere in Nigeria. You can set up a vigilante in a state; it is allowed under the Constitution.

Do you think it's high time we have state police in this country?

Yes. I think it will be passed in the amended Constitution. The state governments in their numbers have approved it as well. So we hope that the governors, the National Assembly and State Assemblies will agree and pass the law to create state police. It is important to have state police and also important to have state guards against abuses by governors. State governors should not be allowed to use state police as their political thugs or attack dogs to terrorize rival political stakeholders in the state. There has to be some kind of regulatory framework that will remove total control from the governors.

A school of thought believes that the governor might use Agunechemba against his opponent in the coming Anambra governorship election. What's your opinion on that

That is a hypothetical statement. It hasn't happened against anybody. If anyone is expressing fear, they can go to court. For instance, the hotel that was demolished by Agunechemba; the owner said the reasons for the demolition were not true. He has a right as a citizen to go to court and vent his angst and get the court to grant justice for the wrong allegedly done to him by the government. So every institution that is set up in the country is under the control of the competent court of law. Section 6 of the Constitution is very explicit regarding the powers of the court of law in Nigeria. So if your right is abused or about to be taken away, you have the right to go to court to preserve your right or obtain remedy.