The push to establish state police in Nigeria gained momentum yesterday as Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu, through the chairman of the Nigeria Police Force Committee on State Police, Prof. Olu Ogunsakin, submitted a comprehensive framework to the Senate. The 75-page proposal, presented to Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, is expected to guide ongoing constitutional amendments needed to create state police across the country.
The committee recommended moving policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List to make state police constitutionally possible. It also proposed the creation of a Nigeria Police Service at the federal level and State Police Services for sub-national governments, with clearly defined jurisdictions to avoid overlapping duties.
As part of safeguards, the framework insists that election security and related matters should remain under the control of the federal police. It further outlines multi-layered accountability measures to prevent governors from exercising absolute control over state police formations in their domains.
The proposal suggests that state assemblies should provide oversight for state policing structures and that commissioners of police should not be appointed solely by governors to preserve operational independence. It also recommends laws that would criminalise police officers’ compliance with unlawful or politically motivated directives from governors.
To deepen local ownership and reliability, applicants into state police services are expected to have lived in their respective states for at least 10 years. The framework also advocates the establishment of state police councils, state police service commissions and ombudsman offices, as well as replacing the word “Force” with “Service” in police nomenclature to reflect a more citizen-focused institution.
Senator Barau described the submission as a proactive step that aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s broader security reforms. He assured that the document will be considered alongside other memoranda in the ongoing constitution review, noting that both the President and governors have already agreed on the need for state police to tackle insecurity and cover vast ungoverned spaces nationwide.
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