Former presidential aide and Ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has argued that Nigeria must embrace state police to prevent a repeat of incidents such as the recent abduction of students in Ogbomosho and other attacks on schools across the country.
He said this in a statement shared on Facebook on Sunday, stressing that the country’s current security structure lacks the manpower needed to protect every school and community.
Omokri said the issue of school security should be guided by practical realities rather than emotions or political disagreements. Nigeria’s security agencies are, according to him, overstretched, making it difficult for the Federal Government alone to provide adequate protection for the nation’s large number of schools.
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He noted that Nigeria has about 300,000 schools but only around 230,000 active military personnel. Based on those figures, he argued that it is mathematically impossible for the armed forces to secure every educational institution across the country.
“Without states buying into President Bola Tinubu’s State Police initiative, it will be impossible for Nigeria’s 230,000-man army to guard all the approximately 300,000 schools across the country,” he said.
Omokri noted that the military can protect some strategic locations, but it cannot be expected to cover every school. He described this as “an arithmetical reality” that cannot be ignored regardless of political opinions.
He also pointed to Nigeria’s long-standing border security challenges. Omokri said the country’s borders have remained porous for decades and require a much larger security presence than currently exists. He estimated that more than one million active military and paramilitary personnel would be needed to monitor the borders continuously throughout the year.
He argued that building such a force would require significant time and financial resources, making it unrealistic as an immediate solution to the country’s security concerns.
Omokri further observed that the Nigeria Police Force is already under pressure. He made known that officers are not only responsible for civilian policing but are also supporting military operations in conflict-prone parts of the North-East and North-West, where insecurity linked to developments in the Sahel region continues to pose serious challenges.
Against this backdrop, Omokri maintained that state police offers a practical way to strengthen local security and improve protection for schools and communities. He challenged critics of the proposal to present alternative solutions rather than simply rejecting the idea.
“As a rational citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who God has given the capacity for critical thinking, beyond getting emotionally triggered and throwing curses at me, can you please tell me how the Federal Republic of Nigeria can guard all 300,000 schools in Nigeria if the States do not buy into the State Police initiative?” he asked.
Omokri’s position suggests greater involvement of state governments in policing. Those who have supported state police believe that locally controlled forces would respond more quickly to threats. But there have been concerns about possible political misuse of such powers.
Omokri, however, insisted on state policing, suggesting practical ways to prevent future school abductions and improve security across the country.
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