Police leadership inaugurates reform committee
The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, on Tuesday inaugurated a State Policing Committee at the Louis Edet House Force Headquarters in Abuja, marking the most concrete institutional step yet toward Nigeria’s long-debated decentralised policing model.
The committee is chaired by Deputy Inspector-General of Police Sadiq Abubakar, who heads the Department of Operations, and includes senior officers from the Nigeria Police Force, representatives of the Police Service Commission, the Ministry of Police Affairs, and security policy experts.
According to police authorities, the committee has been mandated to produce a detailed operational blueprint for state policing within four weeks.
Disu: reform must balance local control with national coordination
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, IGP Tunji Disu said the committee’s assignment reflects the urgency of adapting Nigeria’s policing system to a rapidly evolving security landscape.
“The security challenges confronting our nation require innovative and practical responses,” Disu said.
“This committee is expected to develop a model that strengthens community security while preserving national coordination and professional standards.”
Disu added that the police leadership wants the committee to produce recommendations that can guide legislative and constitutional discussions already taking place within the National Assembly and among state governments.
What the committee must deliver
The terms of reference presented during the inauguration outline several key areas the committee must address.
Among them are:
- Recruitment and training standards for state-level police personnel
- Operational jurisdiction between federal and state police structures
- Funding mechanisms for state policing institutions
- Oversight and accountability frameworks to prevent political misuse
- Coordination systems between state commands and national security agencies
DIG Sadiq Abubakar, the committee chairman, said the panel will also review policing models in federal systems such as the United States, Canada and India.
“Our task is to identify what works internationally and adapt it to Nigeria’s unique federal structure,” Abubakar said during the meeting.
Nigeria’s long-running state police debate
Calls for state policing have intensified in recent years as Nigeria struggles with a complex mix of security threats.
According to official police data, the Nigeria Police Force currently has about 371,800 officers, responsible for policing a population of over 220 million people across 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Security experts say that ratio — roughly one police officer for every 590 citizens — places enormous operational pressure on the national force.
Advocates of decentralised policing argue that locally recruited officers familiar with community dynamics could improve intelligence gathering and rapid response.
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Governors and lawmakers push decentralisation
Several state governors and political leaders have repeatedly called for constitutional amendments to allow state governments establish their own police forces.
The Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) has previously endorsed the concept, arguing that centralised policing alone cannot effectively address Nigeria’s diverse security challenges.
Similarly, lawmakers in the National Assembly have introduced multiple bills seeking to amend the constitution to permit state police structures.
However, those proposals have faced resistance from political actors who fear the system could be abused by state governors.
The political risk at the centre of the debate
Critics warn that state police could become tools for political intimidation during elections or partisan conflicts.
Civil society organisations have repeatedly warned that without strong safeguards, decentralised policing could create 36 separate power centres of coercive authority.
Police authorities acknowledged those concerns during the inauguration ceremony.
IGP Disu said the committee has been specifically tasked with recommending strict oversight mechanisms that prevent political interference and ensure professional policing standards.
A reform that could redefine Nigeria’s policing system
The committee’s report is expected within four weeks, after which its recommendations could be submitted to the federal government and the National Assembly for consideration.
If adopted, the proposals could trigger the most significant restructuring of Nigeria’s policing architecture since independence in 1960.
For now, the inauguration of the State Policing Committee signals that a debate that has dominated Nigerian security policy for decades may finally be entering its most decisive phase.
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