The just sworn-in Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, on Wednesday inaugurated a committee on the establishment of state police.
President Bola Tinubu, as part of ongoing discussions on policing reforms, had, last Wednesday, during the breaking of fast with senators at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, urged the leadership of the 10th Senate to initiate constitutional amendments to provide for the establishment of state police.
The President said decentralised policing would strengthen security at the grassroots and improve rapid response to threats within states, noting that the current centralised structure required constitutional review to accommodate the proposed reform.
Speaking during the inauguration, Disu said the committee’s task was to examine the concept of state policing as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s internal security architecture and improve community-based policing.
The new IGP said the committee would review existing policing models within and outside Nigeria, assess community security needs, propose an operational framework for state police structures, and address issues of recruitment, training, standards, funding, accountability and oversight.
“Among other responsibilities, the committee is expected to review existing policing models within and outside Nigeria, assess community security needs and emerging risks across the country, propose an operational framework for the establishment and coordination of State Police structures, address issues relating to recruitment, training, standards, and resource allocation and develop robust accountability and oversight mechanisms to ensure professionalism and public trust,” he said.
Disu said state police formation could provide localised policing services focused on community safety, conflict prevention, neighbourhood patrols, and early response to emerging threats.
“This collaborative arrangement will encourage specialisation, strengthen professionalism, and ultimately deliver more effective security outcomes for our citizens,” he added.
The steering committee is chaired by Prof. Olu Ogunsakin, Director-General of the National Institute for Police Studies, Abuja, with CP Bode Ojajuni as secretary.
Also in the committee are DCP Okebechi Agora, DCP Suleyman Gulma, ACP Ikechukwu Okafor, CSP Tolulope Ipinmisho and CP Emmanuel Ojukwu (retd.).