State police: Path to reform or ruin

On Thursday March 26, 2026, the seven-man committee set up by Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, on the framework for the establishment of state police submitted its report to the senate committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution chaired by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin. Committee chairman, Prof Olu Ogunsakin, who submitted the 75-page […]

On Thursday March 26, 2026, the seven-man committee set up by Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, on the framework for the establishment of state police submitted its report to the senate committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution chaired by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin.

Committee chairman, Prof Olu Ogunsakin, who submitted the 75-page document titled “A comprehensive framework for the establishment, governance and coordination of federal and state police,” recommended the creation of a Federal Police Service (FPS) and 37 State Police Services (SPS) across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

To be implemented within 60 months, the first 12 months will focus on constitutional and legal foundations. Months 13-24 will feature establishment of state services and launching of Voluntary Transfer Programme (VTP) while initial operations and FPS withdrawal from local policing will be implemented in months 25–42. The full consolidation with an independent evaluation and legislative review will be handled from months 43–60.

Specifically, while FPS, which will replace Nigeria Police Force subject to constitutional amendment, will focus on national security, terrorism, interstate crime and federal law enforcement, SPS will handle local criminal offences, domestic violence, homicide, armed robbery – community policing “as their primary mandate.” Operationally, the FPS will retain about 40 per cent of officers for national roles, while the remaining 60 per cent will be redeployed to SPS.

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Under VTP, federal police officers transferring to their home-state or preferred SPS are to receive a three-month salary Transfer Facilitation Grant, a transition training programme, and a guaranteed Pension Continuity certificate. To maintain uniform standards, it recommended the establishment of 13-member National Police Standards Board (NPSB) that will set the minimum national standards on recruitment, training, conduct, accountability and funding. The board will also monitor and enforce the standards and publish annual compliance ratings for every state service.

The committee also prescribed a dedicated and constitutionally-backed State Police Fund (SPF) that will receive a three per cent statutory federal allocation from the Federation Account to be distributed by population, land area, security need and fiscal capacity, as well as a minimum of 15 per cent contribution from each state government’s security budget.

Daily Trust commends IGP Disu for fast-tracking a formal framework for operationalising community policing under the state police model. We, therefore, urge the National Assembly to immediately effect the required amendments to Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution and the Second Schedule that’ll move the former from the Exclusive List to the Concurrent Legislative List, including a new Section 214A that would constitutionally establish a National Police Standards Board.

Already, there is a national consensus on the inevitability of a state police as it will help tackle insecurity while depopulating the unemployment market through provision of employment to the youth. Moreover, the police in each community will mainly be locals who know themselves alongside the environment they serve.

But we warn that state police is not a standalone or magic wand that would resolve underlying causes of insecurity. It must be accompanied with a new national comprehensive governance and development focus anchored on a comprehensive reform of current policing system and attitudes. This is because the state police will still confront deep-rooted and multifaceted realities exacerbating the nation’s security.

Therefore, Daily Trust calls on Nigeria Police leadership to use the 60-month gestation period for a fully functional state police system to embark on robust reorientation of personnel on the highest operational standards. This is because if state police is created out of the realms of the existing attitudinal and operational procedures, it is a recipe for future disaster. We also insist that alongside the retraining of police personnel there must be proper re-equipment and kitting of all commands and personnel.

In addition, state police must come with strong safeguards that will not complicate current governance issues of impunity and weak institutions. This requires constitutional prohibitions on executive interference or partisan deployment in order to insulate state governors from weaponising state police. They must never become “governor’s police” that are deployed for political intimidation, suppressing opposition, electoral manipulation, or settling scores.

Moreso, a robust checks and balances should also be enthroned in order to promote democratic tenets. Towards this, we also call for strong and independent media and civil society organisations that would act as watchdog on the implementation such that they should routinely monitor activities of envisaged sub-regional police and if possible frequently file suits to hold them accountable especially in internalizing the safeguard of citizen liberties.

Daily Trust also hopes that state police will operate under an effective intelligence-driven initiatives that will serve the need of communities in maintaining law and order. Also, they should work towards instituting a security architecture that would build trust and cooperation with the people.

Most importantly, what is required is the political will and transparent commitment of officials of federal and state governments on the workability of a decentralized police system.