A security expert has called for strong legal and institutional safeguards to ensure the proposed state police system strengthens security without becoming a tool for political oppression.
In a policy paper, Mohammed Bello, a PhD candidate in Defence and Strategic Studies at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), argued that Nigeria’s centralised policing structure can no longer effectively address the country’s growing security challenges.
According to Bello, the push by the National Assembly to amend the Constitution and create state police marks a major shift in Nigeria’s security architecture, but the reform must be accompanied by strict oversight.
He said the current federal policing model has become overstretched, noting that about 370,000 police officers are responsible for a population of more than 220 million people.
Bello argued that state police would improve intelligence gathering because officers recruited from local communities understand the language, culture and terrain better than those deployed from other parts of the country.
He also said the reform would align operational control with the financial support already provided by state governments, which regularly fund federal police operations through security votes despite having no authority over deployments.
However, Bello warned that state police could be abused if governors are allowed unchecked control over the force.
He said there is a risk that governors could use state police to intimidate political opponents, influence elections and suppress dissent if independent oversight mechanisms are not established.
The researcher also raised concerns over funding, warning that financially weak states could struggle to maintain professional police forces, leading to corruption and extortion.
He further cautioned that ethnic and religious divisions within states could affect recruitment and deployment, potentially turning state police into instruments of discrimination.
To avoid these risks, Bello recommended an independent process for appointing and removing state commissioners of police, mandatory federal certification before states establish police commands, and clear constitutional boundaries between federal and state policing responsibilities.
He also proposed the creation of independent State Police Complaints Authorities in all states to investigate allegations of human rights abuses and ensure accountability.
Bello said Nigeria should draw lessons from countries such as Germany and Canada, where decentralised policing operates under strong national standards and oversight.
