President Bola Tinubu advocates for urgent constitutional reform to establish state police, deeming it a necessity to address Nigeria’s deepening security challenges and overhaul the centralized security framework

Nigeria Security Architecture is facing an urgent call for overhaul from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who yesterday declared the establishment of state police a necessity amidst the country’s deepening security challenges.

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Speaking in Abuja during a one-day legislative dialogue on constitutional review and national security architecture, President Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Abubakar Badaru, emphasized that the current centralized security system is outdated and requires immediate reform to effectively address evolving threats.

The high-level Legislative Dialogue on Nigeria’s National Security Architecture was organized by the House Committee on Constitution Review in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser.

“The debate over State Police is no longer theoretical. It is grounded in the daily fears and live anxieties of Nigerians: farmers afraid to tend their fields, traders unsure of safe passage, and communities abandoned to self-help,” President Tinubu stated, underscoring the real-world impact of the current security vacuum.

The President described Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution as foundational to its democracy but inadequate in dealing with modern security threats.

He cited the rising complexity of terrorism, cybercrime, farmer-herder conflicts, piracy, and separatist agitations as clear indicators that the current legal framework is insufficient to secure Nigeria’s vast and diverse territory.

“The pace of change in technology, in the complexity of security threats, and in the dynamics of our federal structure has far outstripped the capacity of some constitutional provisions. Our Constitution must evolve or risk becoming a danger to the very unity it was meant to protect,” he warned.

Tinubu called for bold constitutional amendments that would move policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List.

This move would enable states with the capacity and political will to establish their own police forces, ensuring more accountable, community-based policing while preserving federal coordination and oversight.

“We must learn from global best practices, adapting decentralised policing models that enhance local accountability without sacrificing national oversight,” the President noted.

Daily Trust reports that the president’s position adds significant federal weight to growing calls from governors, traditional leaders, and civil society for state police as a viable solution to Nigeria’s overstretched and often underperforming security agencies.

In his address, President Tinubu acknowledged recent gains made through enhanced coordination among national security agencies, particularly the synergy between the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the armed forces.

He noted that joint task force operations, intelligence fusion, and synchronized air and ground offensives have led to the dismantling of terrorist camps in the North-East and criminal enclaves in the North-West.

Other key stakeholders at the dialogue echoed the President’s call for reform. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, emphasized the timeliness of the dialogue, stating that Nigeria’s complex security landscape demands strategies that are “multi-dimensional, inclusive, technology-driven, and adaptable,” all anchored in a solid legal and institutional framework.

Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, Benjamin Kalu, described the dialogue as a necessary diagnostic process, noting that previous security legislation often lacked adequate input from frontline operators.

Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, also called for urgent legal and constitutional reforms to address emerging threats like cyber warfare, hybrid threats, and insurgency, highlighting operational ambiguities that hamper effectiveness.

The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, represented by Maj. Gen. Adamu Laka, underscored the deep intertwining of security and constitutional order, stressing that a responsive and inclusive constitution is essential for national unity and addressing the root causes of insecurity.

Despite the widespread calls for state policing, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, and the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly, Debo Ogundoyin, expressed opposing views during the dialogue.

Represented by CP Ohiozoba Ehiede, the IGP argued that the Nigeria Police Force should instead be strengthened and better funded, rather than creating state police structures.

However, Ogundoyin countered, stating that Nigeria’s escalating security challenges demand a multi-level policing approach, including state police, to enhance local security responsiveness.

The advocacy for state policing in Nigeria has evolved from a few regional demands to a full-blown national discourse, primarily driven by persistent security challenges and the country’s centralized federal structure.

In February 2024, President Tinubu met with state governors in Abuja, where they considered “the possibility of setting up state police.”

Information Minister Mohammed Idris later disclosed that attendees agreed on the need for state police but acknowledged that further discussions were required for implementation. This meeting followed a surge in insecurity across the country.

Nigeria’s policing system has been centralized since its independence in 1960, with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) under exclusive federal control.

Over decades, various commissions, including the 2006 M.D. Yusuf-led Presidential Committee on Police Reform and the 2012 Parry Osayande Committee, have recommended decentralizing the police to improve local security delivery.

However, successive governments have hesitated to implement these reforms, largely due to concerns over national cohesion and potential political abuse.

In 2021, governors of the 17 southern states unanimously endorsed the creation of state police, arguing that only localized policing could effectively tackle region-specific crimes.

The National Economic Council (NEC) had been awaiting positions from four states – Adamawa, Kwara, Kebbi, and FCT – to deliberate on the matter.

It was recently learned that these states have submitted their positions, and the issue is now set for deliberation at the next NEC meeting.

Meanwhile, in an interview with Daily Trust last night, Mike Ejiofor, a retired director at the Department of State Services and President of the Alumni Association of the National Institute for Security Studies (AANISS), asserted that state police already exist in many states informally. Ejiofor argued for the formalization and legalization of these existing structures.

“If you look at it, virtually all the states have their own state police all in the name of one task force or the other. Why not formalise it?” he questioned.

The security expert cautioned against fears of abuse, stressing the importance of a legal framework that mitigates political influence.

“That matter had been concluded before, and the 36 State governors have keyed into it,” Ejiofor said.

“What is being done now when he (President) made that statement is how to fine-tune the legislative framework for the establishment of the State police which is being organized by the House of Representatives. You know the Deputy Speaker is the Chairman of the Constitution Review committee. It is a forgone conclusion because that is the best way to go, and my reasons are obvious. Like I stated earlier, the Nigerian police is too centralised for effectiveness. Not only too centralised, they are ill-equipped and underfunded. So, when the governors own their own police, they will be their own Chief Security Officer, and the bulk of the staff will be drawn within that environment. They will also help in the intelligence gathering. They are not going to be in competition with the Nigerian police, it is just to assist but the fear of many people is that it would be abuse.”

He suggested that the legal framework could include the Inspector General of Police’s representation in the recruitment process to curb political influence, with traditional rulers also involved in endorsing prospective employees.

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“Anybody that says State police would be abused should also know that the Nigerian police also abuse people’s rights but people have gotten judgment against it,” Ejiofor concluded, adding that while not all states may afford it, those that can should proceed once the constitution is amended.