The newly sworn-in Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, on Wednesday moved to put the Nigeria Police Force at the centre of the national conversation on decentralised security.
In line with this, the IGP has inaugurated a high-powered committee tasked with drafting an operational framework for the proposed establishment of state police in Nigeria.
The inauguration, which took place at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, is the IGP’s direct response to President Bola Tinubu’s call for constitutional amendments to allow for state police.
Speaking at the president’s breaking of fast with senators last week, Tinubu had urged the 10th Senate to initiate the amendments, arguing that a decentralised system would bolster grassroots security and enable states to respond more rapidly to local threats.
Addressing the committee members at its inauguration, IGP Disu outlined their terms of reference, charging them to examine the concept of state policing as a means of strengthening Nigeria’s internal security architecture.
According to the IGP, the committee is expected to review existing policing models within and outside Nigeria, assess community security needs across the country, and propose a robust operational framework for the coordination of state police structures.
He added that the panel would also address critical issues such as recruitment, training standards, funding, resource allocation, and the development of accountability and oversight mechanisms to ensure professionalism and public trust.
Disu emphasised that state police formations, if established, would provide localised policing services focused on community safety, conflict prevention, neighbourhood patrols, and early response to emerging threats.
“This collaborative arrangement will encourage specialisation, strengthen professionalism, and ultimately deliver more effective security outcomes for our citizens,” the IGP stated.
Speaking further after his swearing-in ceremony at the State House, Disu clarified that the move was proactive and collaborative, not defensive. “The committee was set up early this morning to look into the issue of State Police from the angle of the Nigeria Police. We don’t want it to seem as if others are taking decisions, and we, the most important people concerned, did not do anything,” he said.
Dismissing fears within the Force about a loss of relevance or authority, the IGP affirmed that the police welcome the reform. “State police has come to stay, and the police should be able to do their own part in making it succeed. The police are not afraid. Our jobs are not being taken. It’s just an issue of partnership,” Disu added.
The steering committee is chaired by Prof. Olu Ogunsakin, Director-General of the National Institute for Police Studies, Abuja, with CP Bode Ojajuni serving as secretary. Other members include DCP Okebechi Agora, DCP Suleyman Gulma, ACP Ikechukwu Okafor, CSP Tolulope Ipinmisho, and retired CP Emmanuel Ojukwu.
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