By Ejike Ejike, Samson Elijah and Henry Tyohemba, Abuja
Security experts have called for the establishment of state police, saying this would be a critical step towards addressing Nigeria’s persistent security challenges, particularly terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.
They contend that the country’s centralised policing structure has become overstretched amid growing security threats nationwide.
One of the security experts, Iyke Odife, called for the fast-tracking of the process of establishing state police, noting that having only the police at the national level will not address insecurity.
He said, “Now is the time for state police. These local hunters have shown they can do the job and tackle local insecurity; hence, the need to establish state police and recruit experienced local hunters to make them part of the state police, effectively handling local insecurity.”
A retired commissioner of police, Johnson Amen, argued that with local hunters participating in tackling insecurity, the process of establishing state police had commenced.
He stated that local hunters and vigilantes had demonstrated their capacity alongside the Civilian JTF and had made other contributions in different states.
“What is needed is to formalise their activities through the establishment of state police. This will empower them to do more with better equipment and greater determination.
“Nigeria should co-opt these local hunters and vigilantes into state police, and this will enable them to do more. They have been with security agencies, either as Civilian JTF or under other nomenclatures, in different states. With the process of recruitment as state police officers, they will do more,” Amen stated.
A security consultant, Kabiru Adamu, had previously argued that local policing structures were better positioned to understand the peculiar security dynamics of their communities.
He noted that officers recruited from local areas possess better knowledge of the terrain, language and social networks, making it easier to identify criminal elements and prevent attacks before they occur.
Retired military officers and security experts are also in agreement that terrorism and banditry thrive partly because security agencies often struggle to deploy personnel rapidly across Nigeria’s vast territory.
They also expressed the belief that governors, as chief security officers of their states, should have greater control over policing resources so that they can respond effectively to threats.
They argued that the current arrangement often creates delays in decision-making and operational deployment.
Senate to debate Tinubu’s bill today
Meanwhile, the Senate is expected to debate the proposed State Police Bill today following the President’s transmission of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) State Police Bill, 2026.
The bill, which seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution to establish a constitutional framework for nationwide state police services, was formally presented to the Senate on Tuesday.
A letter conveying the proposal, dated June 15, 2026, was read on the floor of the Red Chamber by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
In the correspondence, President Tinubu described the proposed legislation as a major step towards addressing Nigeria’s evolving security challenges through a dual policing structure involving both federal and state police services.
