State police: Preparedness threats

From Fred Itua, Jude Idu, Abuja; Joe Obukata Ogbodu, Warri; Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo; Jude Dangwam, Jos; Noah Ebije, Kaduna; George Onyejiuwa, Owerri; Scholastica Hir, Makurdi; John Bassey, Gusau; Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa; Isaac Job, Uyo; Jude Chinedu, Enugu; John Adams, Minna; Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Ondo; Lateef Dada, Osogbo; Lukman Olabiyi, Lagos; Tony John, Port Harcourt; Abel Leonard, Lafia; Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar; Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja; and Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki

The proposal to establish state police rests on a premise that is as much empirical as constitutional; that the character of insecurity differs from one part of the federation to another, and that a policing arrangement answerable to a single national command cannot respond with equal precision to every variant. Field reports from state correspondents describe cross border banditry in one state, kidnapping and cultism in another, maritime crime in a third and urban restiveness in a fourth, and in each, a state government that has assembled a distinct local security instrument to address its own circumstances.

Those instruments now occupy the centre of the debate. The National Assembly transmitted the constitutional alteration bill to the 36 Houses of Assembly on 16 September 2026, and Section 9(2) of the Constitution requires resolutions from at least two thirds of them, which is 24, before it can be presented for presidential assent. As of 15 October, only five Houses had approved it, notwithstanding a 30 day window set by the National Assembly. The legislative process is therefore unfinished, yet many state executives have already begun adjusting the structure, funding and legal footing of their outfits in anticipation of its conclusion.

What follows is a state by state account of the security problem peculiar to each jurisdiction, together with the state of preparedness each has reached. Where a report did not itemise a particular threat, this analysis says so and confines itself to what was documented.

Ondo: A northern frontier and the burden of border crime

Crime in Ondo was highest, before Operation Amotekun, in the northern senatorial district comprising the Owo and Akoko divisions, which share a boundary with Kogi. Observers link its frequency to proximity to the northern part of the country, where banditry is believed to be prevalent.

Amotekun, formed under the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu as part of the South West security network, now works with the police, the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. It is credited with arrests of suspected bandits, kidnappers, rapists and armed robbers across the 18 local government areas. Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa retained the state commander, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, who has pledged continued funding. Companies and individuals now engage its men for private security. The Ondo Assembly, with those of Ekiti and Ogun, is still examining the draft amendment.

Niger: Banditry, urban restiveness and fragmented outfits

Niger faces escalating attacks by bandits and terrorists, which prompted a Special Vigilante Corps in 2021, and youth restiveness in Minna, the state capital, which the corps was also expected to address through attention to gangs. The then governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, said the initiative was meant to compensate for a manpower deficit in the conventional agencies.

Preparation is partly one of consolidation. Government and the state Police Command agreed to merge Abi Doka, neighbourhood watch and the vigilantes corps into a single body. In 2024, the present administration approved corps at state, local government and emirate levels across the 25 local government areas. The Secretary to the State Government, Abubakar Usman, said the law would be reviewed, recruits screened and trained at zonal level, and uniforms standardised by emirate. A Metropolitan Security Watch, joint task force checkpoints and periodic security town halls have also been approved.

Enugu: Kidnapping corridors and the case for technology

Enugu’s threat is kidnapping, and the forested and rural settings in which kidnappers operate. The state’s Command and Control Centre, complemented by artificial intelligence enabled cameras on roads and security vehicles, supported the tracking of kidnappers in Affa community, Udi Local Government Area.

Governor Peter Mbah approved retired Colonel Dan Didiugwu as chairman of the Enugu State Forest Guard and retired Deputy Commissioner of Police Olamitisoji Akinbamilayo as commander, replacing the state coordinator with a command structure. The correspondent noted that further confirmation is required on whether the state has approved a dedicated state police framework covering recruitment, training, uniforms, budget and legal structure.

Benue: Communal violence and an outfit without regularised pay

Benue’s report is less explicit on specific threats. Senior Advocate Godwin Ogboji recently cited attacks on communities in Benue and Plateau by herdsmen, bandits and terrorists as justification for state police.

The state’s Civil Protection Guards, launched in December 2024 with 5,000 personnel, 100 Hilux vehicles and 600 motorcycles, plan to recruit 5,000 more. An official said the outfit is established by law, has a gazetted standard operating procedure and a budget line, although salaries have not been regularised. Consultations have begun on how community policing could inform a state police arrangement, but procurement of uniforms and boots has not started.

Delta: Oil theft, cultism and a legislature yet to act

Delta names kidnapping, cultism, oil theft and armed robbery. Operation Delta Hawk, inaugurated in December 2020 and rebranded Operation Delta Sweep, is a joint task force of the military, police, Department of State Services and civil defence, funded through the security vote. Thirty one vehicles donated in 2024 brought its fleet to 66. Members of the Delta State Community Security Corps, established the same year, said their stipends stopped after four months.

Governor Sheriff Oborevwori relaunched the Security Trust Fund in October 2025, allocating 0.5 per cent of monthly internally generated revenue to it. In March 2026, the Executive Council approved N34bn for 25 divisional police headquarters and a Special Police Protection Unit. The House of Assembly had not voted on the bill as of the expiry of the 30 day window.

Plateau: A framework built on consultation

The Plateau report refers to evolving security challenges without enumerating them. A 14 member advisory committee headed by retired Deputy Inspector General Habila Joshak, inaugurated on 10 March, has presented a draft framework and completed public engagement in the three senatorial districts.

The proposed service would build on Operation Rainbow, whose 1,450 operatives Governor Caleb Mutfwang graduated in December 2025 for all 17 local government areas. It contemplates a State Security Council, local government security committees, an independent oversight commission and statutory funding through a Plateau Security Trust and Development Fund, with pilot deployment in selected areas. Its guiding principles are professionalism, human rights, non partisanship and community participation.

Bayelsa: Kidnapping, a contested past and questions of command

Bayelsa recorded a surge in kidnapping and violent crime in 2022. Operation Famou Tangbe, established in 2008 with Nigeria Police officers, attracted controversy over extrajudicial killings, and Governor Henry Seriake Dickson renamed it Operation Doo Akpo. Because the police hierarchy in Abuja controlled the outfit despite state funding, the state created a body of its own.

The Community Safety Corps was established by a 2021 law that repealed the earlier volunteer, vigilante and neighbourhood watch laws. Its uniforms resemble those of the Nigeria Police and its personnel bear light arms. Its coordinator, Brigadier General Eric Angaye, was screened on 8 October for a further four year term.

Rivers: A quiet adjustment without public commitments

The Rivers report did not describe specific threats. The Rivers State Neighbourhood Watch Safety Corps Agency, created by law in 2018 and funded through the budget and security votes, is reportedly being repositioned for a seamless transition, though there is no official confirmation of fresh recruitment, new uniforms or designated commanders.

A senior Ministry of Information official said government is watching the National Assembly and will act after presidential assent. The 2026 budget carries no distinct line for state police. Rivers is among the four states reported to have concurred with the bill early.

Taraba: Recruitment, logistics and an expanding command structure

The Taraba report does not itemise threats, but documents the most visibly structured outfit. The Taraba Marshall, created under Governor Darius Ishaku, has been enlarged under Governor Agbu Kefas, who recruited more personnel and ensured they were trained. They are deployed under an organogram, with Hilux vans, motorcycles and a distinct uniform, and commanders across the 16 local government areas and two Special Development Areas.

The governor has approved payment of arrears and begun integrating members into the civil service payroll. Observers interpret this as preparation for state police; the report attributes that view to them, not to government.

Cross River: Marine frontiers and a fragile legal basis

Cross River plans stronger marine patrols, with gunboats and drones. Governor Bassey Otu says kidnapping has declined significantly and robbery is nearly nonexistent.

Operation Okwok, rebranded from Operation Akpakwu, operates under an executive order and received 30 vehicles in a first phase of a planned 100. Security experts say it lacks constitutional powers of arrest and prosecution and has no standalone law, relying on the old Homeland Security Law. The correspondent found no state bill before the Assembly, though a separate report says the Assembly has begun considering the amendment.

Kaduna: Training, budgets and institutional review

Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs Sule Shu’aibu said the Kaduna State Vigilance Service is being positioned as a take off platform for state policing. About 300 officers, led by Commander Ali Audu Dabigi, a retired Commissioner of Police, are being trained in crowd control, community relations, gender inclusion and emergency response, with partners including The Kukah Centre and Tetra Tech.

The law establishing the service has been reviewed and operating procedures developed. The revised 2024 budget gave it about N58.34m recurrent, N49.95m for uniforms and N7.38m for security equipment. The report does not specify the threat profile.

Zamfara: Banditry as the organising threat

Zamfara’s Community Protection Guards, known as Askarawa, were created under a 2024 law to curtail banditry, respond to distress calls and assist law enforcement. They make arrests and refer cases to the Ministry of Justice. Funded through the Zamfara State Security Trust Fund, they are led by retired Assistant Inspector General Muhammad Shehu, who has pledged cooperation with conventional agencies.

The report is explicit that the Guards are not currently operating as state police. Governor Dauda Lawal has remarked that governors are ceremonial chief security officers because commissioners of police take directives from Abuja. Reports differ on whether the Assembly has concurred with the bill.

Imo: Mass recruitment and the question of safeguards

Governor Hope Uzodimma points to a Christmas free of molestation as evidence of improvement. On 10 January 2026 he inaugurated 7,000 members of the Imo State Vigilance Service, established under the Imo State Security Organisation Amendment Law No. 3 of 2025.

Recruits, nominated by traditional rulers, were trained at the Police Training College, Nekede, equipped with pump action guns and uniforms, and paid between N100,000 and N130,000 monthly. In June he commended the National Assembly and the President over the bill, while noting that safeguards would be needed to prevent political abuse.

Akwa Ibom: Neglected volunteers and a village level strategy

The Ibom Community Watch has uniforms, boots, batons and offices, yet is said to be neglected because government could not pay salaries. Commissioner for Internal Security General Koko Essien said no decision has been taken on integrating it into state police.

Governor Umo Eno has drawn 2,277 village youth presidents into the security architecture to supply intelligence, with training promised after local government profiling. A state police bill he initiated is pending before the Assembly.

Osun: Amotekun as the template of the South West

Amotekun, established in 2020 as the country’s first regional security outfit, recruited and trained 1,150 more personnel in 2025, according to commander Adekunle Omoyele.

The Osun Assembly was among the first to approve the amendment. A source close to Governor Ademola Adeleke said South West governors plan to upgrade Amotekun into the foundation of state police. The report attributes this to an anonymous source and describes no specific local threats.

Lagos: A metropolis awaiting a legal mandate

The General Manager of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency, Ifalade Oyekan, said the agency has been restructured around preventive policing, technology and intelligence gathering and is positioned to evolve into a state security apparatus. The 2019 law provides for arrest, entry, search and inspection, yet does not place the corps on the constitutional footing of the Nigeria Police Force.

Any transition would require defined powers, command structure, investigative responsibilities and procedures on detention, use of force and complaints. It is unclear whether a formal plan or timeline exists.

Nasarawa: A cautious posture and few public commitments

The Nasarawa State Youth Empowerment Agency supports security operations under state law, and the Assembly advanced legislation in November 2025 to rename it and improve personnel welfare. Governor Abdullahi Sule inaugurated a State Security Advisory Council in August 2026.

As of 16 October, no publicly verified information confirmed recruitment, uniforms, training, commanders, a budget line or restructuring for state policing. Speaker Danladi Jatau said members would consider the proposal received in September.

Kogi: Banditry and an ageing vigilante force

Kogi’s government is eager to set up its own police because of bandit activity, but the 2,500 vigilante personnel may not simply be converted. Sources close to the office of the State Security Adviser said over 80 per cent are old and worn out and unlikely to withstand the rigours of active policing; only the few young, trainable ones may be considered if they apply.

The personnel operate under two or three platforms, some tagged federal vigilante and others traditional hunters who rely on spiritual powers rather than physical capability. Governor Usman Ododo absorbed 1,050 into the state civil service in May.

Some young graduates reportedly joined hoping for civil service conversion, not regular policing. Another source said Ododo awaits presidential assent, with office accommodation for a headquarters and other logistics already mooted, and a technical committee to be set up to work out recruitment mode, composition and operations.

Ebonyi: A network ready to switch

Ebonyi says state police will not take a single day to establish once the bill is signed. The Ebubeagu Security Network, set up under former Governor David Umahi, now Minister of Works, was proscribed by a federal high court. The government immediately created the Neighbourhood Security Network, which has operated for over five years from the old government house, Abakaliki, with vehicles, communication gadgets, arms and uniforms.

Commander Nwenyi Chiboyi said Governor Francis Nwifuru pays members as and when due, and that each of the 13 local government areas has 105 members, 1,365 in all. He urged support for state police and rejected fears that it is aimed at the general election or at opponents, arguing that it will create jobs for unemployed graduates and that existing neighbourhood watch units already practise a version of it. He acknowledged it has not been fully gazetted federally.

Federal Capital Territory: The exclusion question

A senior director in the FCT Security Secretariat, speaking anonymously, said the administration is not preparing for state police because Abuja is excluded from the proposed system and will remain under a federal policing structure renamed the Federal Police Service, the territory having no executive governor, being administered by a minister, and no House of Assembly.

All Progressives Congress chieftain Hon. Stephen Ajiya said federal police have not solved security problems around the area councils and agitation for autonomy would continue.

Common threads

The threats are regionally specific; border banditry in Ondo, Zamfara and Kogi, kidnapping and cultism in Delta and Bayelsa, urban restiveness in Niger and Lagos, and maritime crime in Cross River. The instruments are uneven in legal standing, from recent statutes in Imo and Zamfara to Cross River’s executive order, and Ebonyi’s was rebuilt after a court ban. Funding ranges from trust funds to security votes, while welfare gaps persist in Benue, Delta and Akwa Ibom, and Kogi’s force faces questions of age and fitness. The legislative process, rather than executive readiness, appears to be the binding constraint.

The states not captured in this instalment are Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Bauchi, Borno, Edo, Ekiti, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kwara, Ogun, Oyo, Sokoto and Yobe. Follow up reports will track developments in those states.