As a result of rising security challenges across the country, the federal and state governments should stop the undue dillydallying over the creation of state police. The decentralization of the Nigeria Police Force has become compelling in tackling our daunting security challenges. Interestingly, the 36 state governors have given their support for the establishment of state police. Apart from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the 36 state governors have submitted their proposals for the establishment of state police.
Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, who spoke on the issue recently, revealed that nearly all the states have endorsed the proposal, signaling a strong consensus on it. He explained that the states agreed on the experiment due to the unique security challenges confronting the regions and the glaring inadequacies in the current national security framework. A decentralised policing system, according to the governor, would enable states fashion out security measures to their specific needs, thereby enhancing the overall safety of the citizens.
“Knowing full well that we have a lot of ungoverned spaces in Nigeria, and also that we have a lot of deficits in terms of number of boots on ground, looking at the fact that a lot of security agencies, the police, the army and other relevant security agencies have no personnel to cover all the ungoverned spaces, that is the reason most of us agreed that establishment of state police in Nigeria is the way forward toward addressing the problem of insecurity in our own country,” Sani declared.
The consensus by the governors on the issue is a follow-up to an earlier engagement of February 15, 2024, by the federal government, the 36 states, on the establishment of state police. Following the agreement, the National Economic Council (NEC) requested states to submit detailed reports outlining their positions and plans for implementing the state police. By March 2024, 16 states had submitted their reports, leaving the remaining 20 to do so later. In the same vein, the House of Representatives indicated that it was considering a legislative bill titled, ‘A bill for an Act to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to provide for the establishment of State Police and related matters.’
Similarly, the governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had added their voice to the clamour for state police as a viable option for tackling the security challenges confronting the country. The governors maintained that the present police structure must be decentralised to give way to the establishment of state police.
The demand by the PDP governors is in tandem with the submissions of ethnic organisations like Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Middle Belt Forum (MBF) and the Northern Governors Forum (NGF). The NGF, which comprised governors of the 19 Northern states, had at a point, called for the immediate establishment of State Police, as the most effective way to contain the rising spate of insecurity.
Considering the rising criminality in the country, it has become practically impossible for the current centralized policing system to effectively tackle the mounting insecurity. The present policing system is inefficient and grossly inadequate to police Nigeria. With about 370,000 police personnel, the Nigeria Police Force cannot provide security to over 200 million Nigerians. The Force is also ill-equipped to grapple with complex security challenges across the country.
Therefore, the dillydallying over the creation of state police is inimical to the corporate existence of Nigeria. The President and the 36 state governors and the minister of the FCT should conclude the deliberations on the creation of state police forthwith. In most federations, there are layers of policing. The United States (US) from where we modeled our presidential system of government, there are federal, state, county, city and other layers of policing. Ideally, Nigeria should have federal, state, council and community policing. Since every crime is local, we must have a functional policing system at state, local government and community levels.
We call for necessary legislations to check the abuse of state police by governors. The current security challenges require proactive measures, which the centralized policing cannot guarantee. The fact that some regions have local security outfits actually justifies the compelling need for state policing. For instance, there is Hisbah in the North, Amotekun in the West and Ebube Agu in the East. There are equally vigilance groups in some other states.
Let the National and State Houses of Assembly enact necessary laws for the establishment of state police and other layers of policing. Having at least four layers of policing, federal, state, council and community, will effectively tackle the rising security challenges.