Why Nigeria Needs State Police Now — Former AIG Ogunsakin

By Odita Sunday

The creation of state police will strengthen security at the grassroots, boost intelligence gathering and improve Nigeria’s capacity to tackle kidnapping, banditry, terrorism and other crimes, a position paper on policing reform has said.

According to the paper, decentralising policing will allow states to deal with security threats specific to their communities, while the Nigeria Police Force concentrates on national security duties. With state police complementing the federal force, law enforcement will be closer to the people, response will be faster, and communities will participate more in crime prevention.

The paper said the centralised policing system has faced criticism as insurgency, kidnapping, communal clashes, banditry, crude oil theft and organised crimes persist. It noted that analysts and advocates of state policing believe local authorities understand the terrain, culture and language of their areas better.

It cited Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, who at the Nigerian People’s Strategic Conference and Defence Exhibition in Abuja on June 13, 2026, argued that a centralised architecture cannot effectively police over 220 million people across 36 states and 774 LGAs. Kalu said state policing would cut response time and improve intelligence.

The document observed that state governments already fund security operations substantially, providing logistics and equipment, citing Lagos, Ogun and Oyo as examples.

It however listed concerns about possible abuse by governors to intimidate opponents and influence elections, as well as funding gaps, corruption, nepotism, ethnic tensions and jurisdictional clashes.

To check these risks, it recommended independent State Police Service Commissions for recruitment and discipline, transparent recruitment based on residency, operational autonomy, sound training, and clear federal-state cooperation guidelines. It also proposed annual policing plans driven by crime data and community needs, with legislative oversight.

Drawing from his time as Commissioner of Police, Rivers State in 2014 and later as AIG in Zone 6 Calabar and Zone 12 Bauchi, the author said community policing and intelligence-led operations helped tackle kidnapping, oil bunkering, pipeline vandalism and insurgency threats. It referenced the _Say No to Kidnapping_ campaign for youth reorientation.

The paper reviewed models in the US, India, Japan, Australia and the UK, noting Nigeria must adapt lessons to its constitution while ensuring safeguards, professional standards and rights protection.

It referenced ongoing constitutional amendments and a framework said to have been developed by a Police steering committee under IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu on establishment and coordination of federal and state police, covering recruitment, training and accountability.

It called for defined conditions for federal intervention when a state’s capacity is overwhelmed, and for a federal monitoring mechanism at the early stage, plus transfer opportunities between services.

The author said state police will add a critical layer of local intelligence, patrols and early warning, working with, not replacing, the federal police, and backed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s security reforms as a step toward national stability.

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