The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, has inaugurated a high-level committee to develop a framework for the implementation of state policing in Nigeria.
The move follows renewed national discussions on the establishment of state police as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s security structure. Calls for decentralised policing have increased in recent years amid concerns about security challenges across the country.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently urged the National Assembly to amend the 1999 Constitution to allow the creation of state police as part of broader security reforms.
The initiative gained further attention after Disu was sworn in as the 23rd indigenous Inspector-General of Police at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Committee to submit framework
Disu announced that the newly constituted committee has been given four weeks to submit its report on the proposed framework for state policing.
The panel is chaired by Professor Olu Ogunsakin and includes senior and retired police officers such as CP Emmanuel Ojukwu (retd), CP Bode Ojajuni, DCP Okebuchi Ogora, ACP Ikechukwu Okafor and CSP Tolulope Ipinmisho.
According to the IGP, the committee will examine policing models within and outside Nigeria and propose structures for coordinating state police operations without undermining national security.
The panel will also consider recruitment processes, training standards, funding arrangements, accountability mechanisms and oversight structures for the proposed system.
Disu said decentralised policing could bring law enforcement closer to communities and enable quicker responses to security threats.
The IGP acknowledged concerns that state police could be misused for political purposes by state governments.
He said such concerns would be addressed during the committee’s review, noting that comparative studies of countries that operate state policing systems would guide the recommendations.
Disu also stated that the proposed reform should promote cooperation between federal and state security structures rather than create institutional rivalry.
After his swearing-in, the IGP held a strategic meeting with senior officers of the Nigeria Police Force in Abuja.
He also said the police were monitoring developments in the Middle East and engaging community leaders across Nigeria to prevent any security implications locally.
