The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights has renewed its call for the establishment of state police across Nigeria, declaring that the current centralised policing structure has become overstretched and ineffective in tackling rising insecurity.
In a statement jointly signed by its National President, Comrade Yinka Folarin, and General Secretary, Comrade Idris Afees Olayinka, the civil rights group described the initiative as a critical step towards addressing terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, insurgency and other violent crimes plaguing the country.
The group threw its weight behind the newly appointed Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, for inaugurating a high-powered committee to develop a framework for the implementation of state policing.
Disu, who was recently sworn in as the nation’s police chief, had declared that decentralised policing “has come to stay,” amid renewed national debate over security reforms.
The renewed push also follows President Bola Tinubu’s call on the National Assembly to amend the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria to accommodate state police as part of broader security reforms.
CDHR argued that with Nigeria’s over 200 million population and 774 local government areas, a single, centralised police structure can no longer effectively manage the country’s complex security challenges.
“The burden of combating terrorism, militancy, insurgency, banditry and kidnapping has become overwhelming for our security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force,” the statement read.
The organisation said it had consistently championed the creation of state police as a viable solution to Nigeria’s worsening security crisis, stressing that the IGP’s move to set up a committee to work out modalities for implementation was commendable.
According to CDHR, the committee’s terms of reference which include reviewing policing models within and outside Nigeria, assessing community security needs, identifying potential risks, and proposing an operational structure for coordination demonstrate a serious attempt to ensure that state policing does not undermine national security.
The rights group, however, urged the police leadership to ensure that the initiative does not end up as a mere political statement.
“We charge the Inspector-General of Police to remain focused so that this initiative does not remain a paper document.
The full implementation of state police will send a strong signal that the government is committed to ending insecurity and criminality at the grassroots,” the statement added.
The debate over state police has intensified in recent months, with stakeholders divided over concerns that governors could misuse such forces for political purposes, even as proponents argue that decentralisation is necessary to strengthen local intelligence gathering and rapid response capabilities.
CDHR maintained that with proper legal safeguards and oversight mechanisms, state police would strengthen Nigeria’s policing architecture and provide an alternative strategy for restoring security nationwide.
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