Stakeholders in Ondo, Osun and Ekiti States say Nigeria must urgently embrace state policing, describing its creation as a strategic necessity for addressing the multifaceted security challenges facing the country.
They argued that the state police would reduce reliance on the federal and central command, thereby mitigating current security challenges such as banditry and kidnapping.
The stakeholders stated that the model would enhance safety by decentralising law enforcement, allowing for improved local intelligence, quicker response times to crimes, and better community policing in Nigeria’s multifaceted society.
They, however, cautioned that such state-controlled police must be manned by persons without party affiliation or ethnic biased.
The Ondo State Commandant of Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), Dr Akinwumi Gideon, who spoke with our Correspondent in Akure, said state police should not be a tool for political patronage.
According to him, some governors will make their choice of the state commanders and executive officers of the state policing group based on their party members and from their local government.
He said that if establishment of state police was approved, the would-be head of the security agency should go through rigorous screening to be able to pick the best and most qualified person.
Contributing, Mr Martins Alo, Executive Director, Upline Centre for Development, a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), noted that state police would require some framework and legislative changes to make it effective.
Alo said there must be operational autonomy and grants from the Federal Government to support state police, so that the aims and objectives would be achieved.
“Each state should establish its own State Police Service Commission under state law, while maintaining the federal police force to handle national and interstate crimes.
“Also, the modalities should develop clear operational frameworks governing state police operations, including protocols for collaboration with federal agencies, jurisdictional boundaries, and mechanisms for addressing grievances and complaints.
“State police should comply with federal human rights standards, establish internal disciplinary bodies, submit annual reports to both State Assembly and National Council, and maintain body cameras and digital evidence systems,” he stated.
Similarly, Dr Diran Iyantan, Chairman, Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) in Zone 17, comprising Ekiti and Ondo States, said since the country is operating a federal system of government, its security architecture policy must be holistically federal.
“In a federal system globally, you will see that each state or component has its own police and Nigeria should not be an exception.
“There has been clamour for the state police because of proximity. People that are in your state know the politics of the state, the terrain and peculiarities of such state.
“So, if you have people policing at that level, the work becomes more efficient and easier for them because they will be able to police and protect lives and property altogether,” he said.
Iyantan urged Nigerian authorities and major stakeholders to expedite actions on approval for the creation of state police, so that the myriad of criminalities ravaging the country would be tamed.
In Osun, the House of Assembly Majority Leader, Mr Adewumi Babajide, argued that state police was the solution to the current insecurity challenges in the country, and encouraged its establishment because it was long overdue.
“It will be easy for the officers, who are locals, to locate areas where crimes are reported, track criminals, and block exit points swiftly. This is because the officers know their terrain and the locals. It will also be easier for them to identify strangers coming into the state to perpetrate crimes,” he said.
Babajide noted that the recruitment process must be based on merit to avoid employing criminals and political thugs, and proper training should be given to recruits to ensure effective service delivery.
He, however, acknowledged that the fears among Nigerians that state police could be hijacked by politicians for personal gain were valid.
Similarly, Mr Emmanuel Olowu, Executive Director of Democracy Vanguards, a CSO, said the proposed creation of state police must be backed by strong legal and institutional frameworks, noting that the laws would help to avoid conflict with the Nigeria Police Force.
“The concerns surrounding state police are largely rooted in fears of abuse of power and Nigeria’s history of weak institutions,” he stated.
Olowu said Nigeria currently operates a highly centralised policing system, with the police as the only constitutionally recognised authority.
“The 1999 Constitution will need to be amended to formally recognise both federal and state police with clearly defined powers, responsibilities, and limits,” he said.
An Assistant Lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Mr Mubarak Eniola, called for constitutional provisions for the establishment of state police to guarantee effective service delivery.
Eniola said the establishment of the Amotekun Corps by South-West governors was a good step towards the creation of state police.
In Ekiti, a legal practitioner, Mr Temitope Omotayo, said the establishment of state police, involved significant constitutional and legislative changes.
Omotayo noted that it would create new command structures in the aspect of governor’s authority, police service commissions, securing funding and defining roles with the federal police.
He said the framework on constitutional amendment would indicate where Nigerian Constitution must be carefully altered, to allow both federal and state police forces operate, and moving policing powers to the concurrent list.
The legal practitioner explained that changes in the Police Act, Criminal Code and other laws were needed to define structures, powers and firearm control.
He noted that there should be accountability mechanisms on strict disciplinary measures, special courts for officers and free press, as well as re-orientation towards local needs and community.
A Private Security Consultant, Dr Olusola Ige, urged government at all levels to first ensure that more than enough time was given to proper enlightenment of Nigerians on the establishment of state police.
Ige described the move by the Federal Government to ensure the creation of state police as being proactive in order to ensure the safety of all citizens.
According to him, President Bola Tinubu’s consideration for the establishment of state police, aligns with the principle of subsidiarity, whereby law enforcement responsibilities are decentralised, to meet better, the unique security needs of citizens and people living and working in Nigeria.
He said as part of the suggested compulsory enlightenment programme, the Federal Government must ensure proper constitutional amendment, to allow for ease and apparatus of the creation of state police.
Ige said community engagement should also form part of the modalities, to ensure that the state police work together with residents and indigenes of every town for enhanced and effective policing.
