Tunji Disu, the inspector-general of police, has set up a seven-member committee to supervise the implementation of state police in Nigeria.
The committee, to be chaired by Olu Ogunsakin, a professor of police studies, was inaugurated on Wednesday.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Disu, who was recently appointed as IGP, directed the committee to design an operational framework for the creation and coordination of state police structures.
The IGP tasked the committee with examining matters related to training, recruitment, resource distribution, and oversight systems required for the state police structures.
Disu noted that decentralising the police would allow state governments and local authorities to tackle specific security challenges within their areas more effectively.
“It is my greatest privilege to formally inaugurate this committee on state policing. The task before this committee is both significant and timely as it speaks to our reflective demand to strengthen Nigeria’s security,” he said.
“The committee we are inaugurating today has a critical responsibility. Your work will help shape the framework through which state policing may operate in Nigeria in a manner that strengthens, rather than fragments, our national security system.
“In carrying out this assignment, your deliberations must be guided by professionalism, objectivity, and a clear appreciation of the unique complexities of policing a diverse nation such as ours.
“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; develop robust accountability and oversight mechanisms to ensure professionalism and public trust.
“If thoughtfully designed and effectively implemented, State Policing holds significant potential benefits for our country.
“By bringing law enforcement closer to communities, state police institutions can deepen local knowledge of security dynamics and enable quicker and more targeted responses to emerging threats.”
Other members of the committee include Bode Ojajuni (secretary), Okebechi Agora, Suleyman Gulma, Ikechukwu Okafor, Tolulope Ipinmisho, and Emmanuel Ojukwu.
On several occasions, President Bola Tinubu has pledged that his administration will establish state police as part of efforts to tackle the nation’s insecurity.
Recently, Tinubu requested both chambers of the national assembly to amend the 1999 constitution to provide a legal basis for the establishment of state police.
The national assembly has begun the process of revising the 1999 constitution to accommodate the creation of state police.
