…say centralized police structure overstretched

By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – AMID growing insecurity across the country, the Alumni Association of the National Institute, AANI, has called for establishment of State Police as a way to strengthen the security architecture.

The call was made at its 46th Annual General Meeting, AGM, and National Colloquium in Abuja, with the theme, ‘State Police and Community Policing: Challenges, Options and Opportunities’.

President, AANI, Amb Emmanuel Obi Okafor, mni, in a remark pointed Nigeria’s current security situation is of great concern and troubling, therefore, there is no need to hesitate and procrastinate about the centralization of policing because it has not effectively given adequate and needed protection of Nigerians as it is overstretched.

The Director-General, Department of State Services, DSS, Mr. Oluwatosin Ajayi, who was the Special Guest of Honour, underscored that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is fully committed to tackling the security challenges bedeviling the nation.

The DG DSS emphasized that beyond structural reforms, Nigeria must confront deeper issues of trust gaps and societal orientation.

He also charged community rulers, religious leaders, and grassroots mobilizers to rise to their responsibilities, noting that security is not only institutional but a shared societal duty.

He further reiterated the centrality of justice, saying “where there is justice, peace comes naturally,” underscoring fairness and equity as the foundation of national stability.

The DG noted that State Policing is not only a legitimate exercise of state authority to tackle immediate threats, but also one of the most effective mechanisms for coordinating and harmonising Nigeria’s numerous quasi-law enforcement outfits currently operating across states.

The high-level event, chaired by HE Prof Tijjani Bande, GCON, former Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations and Director General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), attracted key stakeholders including the Director General of NIPSS, Professor Ayo Omotayo, representatives of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Head of Service of the Federation, Chief of Defence Staff, Inspector General of Police, Nigerian Navy, and other Service Chiefs, as well as delegations from Zamfara and Sokoto State Governments, alongside senior security and intelligence officials.

In his keynote address, Prof Femi Mimiko, identified salient factors that had become limitations of Nigeria’s single-layer policing structure.

Mimiko also noted that the limitations are inconsistent with federal principles, therefore, called for a decentralised system that enhances responsiveness and accountability.

However, he acknowledged that some Nigerians who had expressed fears of misuse, ethnic bias and fragmentation, therefore, the government needs to closely and holistically address them through clear constitutional safeguards.

The Chairman of the occasion, HE Prof Tijjani Bande, GCON, also advised that the colloquium needs to have an in-depth examination of issues concerning clamour of State Police as a panacea to the current insecurity challenges, hence, to develop a workable and sustainable framework for holistic implementation.

Meanwhile, delegates pointed out that State Police is not a new concept, adding that past failures should not hinder it as an adoption instead the bottlenecks and flaws demand thorough examination and solutions.

The deliberations at the event indicated that Nigeria is seriously under-policed – 371,800 officers; a police-to-population ratio of about 1:740, far below the United Nations standard of 1:450.

Participants identified se.of the inefficiencies – intelligence gaps, weak community trust, corruption, inadequate manpower, and over-centralisation as key drivers of insecurity.

Others are; deployment of the military for policing duties in almost all states, which is unsustainable.

Meanwhile, the AGM endorsed an intelligence-driven Hybrid Policing Model that integrates State Police with existing community policing structures.

Some of the key recommendations included:Constitutional Amendment: Urgent amendment of Sections 214 and 215 of the 1999; Constitution to move policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List; Clear Jurisdiction: Delineation of functional boundaries between federal and state police, including thresholds on weapons and personnel, and defined intervention protocols.

Training for State Police to be coordinated by the Nigeria Police Force, with formal structures for inter-state and inter-agency collaboration; Funding & Accountability: Appropriately defined funding mechanisms and stronger accountability frameworks to prevent abuse; Whole-of-Society Approach: Recognition that kinetic means alone cannot solve insecurity. Justice, value reorientation, leadership, and community engagement must complement security operations.

They called on the National Assembly to expedite constitutional amendments to enable the policing reforms and urged all levels of government to ensure justice, stating that peace will not prevail without fairness.

AANI reaffirmed its commitment to providing strategic, evidence-based policy solutions towards building a safer, more secure, and united Nigeria, noting that State Police, properly regulated, offers opportunities for improved responsiveness, better intelligence, employment generation, and restored public trust.