The constitutional route to a state police force

On different occasions this week, the governor of Lagos state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, confessed that he had no control over the horrific events in Lekki on Tuesday. 

The army is not under his control, he pleaded.

Nigerians know their governors to wield significant power, so this revelation came as a shock to many. However, Sanwo-Olu's lack of control in this context is precisely in line with Nigeria's laws. Section 218 (1) of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 says that the president as the Commissioner-in-Chief of the Armed Forces has the "power to determine the operational use of the armed forces of the Federation."

Armed Forces include the Army, Navy and Air Force. 

Other Federations have similar laws; the army is controlled at the very top or centre of government. 

So to some extent, the governor's remarks should not have come as a surprise. 

What stuck to me was the governor's inability to