Former Inspectors-General of Police have submitted fresh recommendations to the Nigeria Police Force on the proposed establishment of state police, raising concerns over aspects of the framework as the Federal Government moves closer to implementing the long-debated policing reform.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja during a workshop organised by the National Institute of Police Studies, saying the contributions of the retired police chiefs would be incorporated into the final draft of the proposed framework.
According to the IGP, the former police chiefs met with him to review the draft and suggest improvements aimed at strengthening the proposed policing structure.
“Retired Inspectors-General of Police have visited me, and they have shown their concern. We have deliberated, and they have put their contributions into this as well,” Disu said.
He urged participants at the workshop to critically examine the draft document to ensure every necessary provision was captured before its finalisation.
“You have the opportunity to help us look at it so that every important detail that will be needed is inputted into it,” he added.
Disu disclosed that the committee responsible for producing the police framework completed its assignment within 17 days, despite beginning work after state governors had already commenced discussions on their own proposals.
“We started late. We caught up with them, and I’m happy to say our work is what they are deliberating on today, and we still need to put some finishing touches to it,” he said.
The police boss said the committee benchmarked its recommendations against policing models in countries operating sub-national police systems, including the United States, India and Pakistan.
He also called on senior police officers to educate their colleagues and the public on the proposed reform, noting that misconceptions surrounding state police remained widespread.
“There are fears everywhere, and it’s our duty to educate them and let them know what state police is all about,” Disu said.
Although the IGP did not disclose the identities of the retired police chiefs involved in the consultations or the specific concerns they raised, opposition to state policing has long been expressed by several former police bosses.
The immediate past Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, had publicly argued that Nigeria was not yet ready to operate state police, warning that governors could abuse such security outfits for political purposes.
Speaking at the National Dialogue on State Policing in 2024, Egbetokun cautioned that state police could lead to human rights violations, political intimidation and jurisdictional conflicts if adequate safeguards were not put in place.
Similarly, in 2012, nine retired Inspectors-General of Police advised former President Goodluck Jonathan against creating state police, warning that governors could deploy the outfits to harass political opponents. They instead recommended strengthening the intelligence and investigative capacities of the Nigeria Police Force.
The renewed consultations come as the Federal Government advances plans to decentralise policing in response to worsening insecurity across the country.
President Bola Tinubu has consistently backed the creation of state police, describing it as a critical reform capable of making law enforcement more responsive to local security challenges.
The National Assembly has already passed constitutional amendment bills seeking to establish a dual federal and state policing system. However, the proposal still requires harmonisation by both chambers, approval by at least 24 state Houses of Assembly and presidential assent before it can become law.
The Nigeria Police Force had earlier submitted a 75-page document titled “A Comprehensive Framework for the Establishment, Governance and Coordination of Federal and State Police” to the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution as its professional input into the ongoing constitutional amendment process.
The proposed framework provides for the coordination of federal and state police under an expanded National Police Council, while introducing safeguards such as legislative confirmation of state police commissioners and the establishment of independent state police service commissions to oversee recruitment, discipline and administration.
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