The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, has submitted a detailed framework for establishing state police in Nigeria to the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, as part of ongoing efforts to decentralize policing.
The 75-page document, presented on Thursday at the National Assembly in Abuja by Professor Olu Ogunsakin, outlines the proposed operational structure, governance, and coordination of federal and state police. Ogunsakin chairs the committee set up by the Nigeria Police Force to examine the modalities for creating state police.
Titled “A Comprehensive Framework for the Establishment, Governance and Coordination of Federal and State Police,” the report reflects professional insights, strategic recommendations, and extensive consultations by the force, taking into account operational, legal, and administrative considerations. The IGP noted that the document is intended to support informed decision-making in the constitutional review process.
Senator Jibrin, who also chairs the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, commended the IGP for the proactive submission. He assured that the framework would be reviewed thoroughly along with other memoranda as the committee examines a bill that would allow states to establish their own police forces.
The move aligns with an agreement reached in 2024 between President Bola Tinubu and the 36 state governors on the need for decentralized policing to address rising threats such as banditry, insurgency, and kidnapping.
However, critics have raised concerns that state police could be misused as “private armies” by governors, with funding challenges for some states and potential human rights risks if accountability measures are not robust.
While the IGP described the decentralization process as “irreversible,” full implementation will require a constitutional amendment approved by the National Assembly and ratification by at least two-thirds of State Houses of Assembly.
