Why state police may not materialise now

The call for state police has continued in Nigeria following the security challenges bedeviling the country. Although the Federal Government seems to have favoured the arrangement as the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s body language shows a man that is supportive of state police, indications are that such an arrangement might not work out, at least, not in this first tenure.

It was gathered that part of the reasons it is not saleable now is the level of political brigandage which is feared may worsen with state police. At the moment many Nigerians feared it could be misused by political actors.

The fear also emanated from the fact that many states are not paying the Minimum Wage, and the question of how they would carry the weight of funding effective police has also become pertinent. The fear is that they could also turn it into an instrument of oppression against political foes.

Following the increasing rate of insecurity across the country – especially with the number of ungoverned places, President Tinubu had pushed the agenda of state police as a suitable solution to curb the menace of insecurity.

“I am reviewing all the aspects of security; I have to create state police. We are looking at that holistically,” Tinubu said while hosting a delegation of Katsina indigenes led by the governor, Dikko Radda, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja during a recent courtesy visit.

Tinubu recalled that in February 2024, the federal government inaugurated a committee to develop a framework for state policing.

The initiative has received wide support, although as of March, 20 states had yet to submit their reports, according to Vice-President Kashim Shettima.

Just last week, he convened a high-level strategic meeting with the council of state and police council, which underscores the President’s commitment to addressing pressing national issues and ensuring the safety and security of citizens.

Two weeks before the president’s strategic meeting with the Council of State and Police Council, the House of Representatives held a public hearing on the creation of state police, aligning the proposal with public interest that has generated discourse amid rising insecurity across the country.

Over the years, former and current Nigerian leaders, security experts and civil society groups, have argued that decentralising policing would enhance community safety and response to local security threats.

But the political will to push through a constitutional amendment for a decentralized police system have been hampered by the state governors, many of whom states are suffering from the menace of insecurity being carried out by non-state actors.

For instance, earlier this year, President Tinubu called for proposal on the modalities of state police – only about 12 states responded to the call by drafting their own proposals for a decentralised police system.