Igbo Group Urges FG to Fast-Track Establishment of State Police
The Igbo Heroes and Icons Foundation has called on the Federal Government to urgently establish state police as part of efforts to address the country’s worsening security challenges.
In a statement issued on Friday, the foundation’s president, Chinedu Nsofor, said creating state-controlled police formations would significantly strengthen efforts to combat banditry, terrorism and other forms of violent crime across Nigeria.
Nsofor said the directive by Bola Ahmed Tinubu instructing the Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector-General of the Nigeria Police Force, to develop a framework for the establishment of state police should be implemented without delay.
According to him, the potential benefits of decentralised policing outweigh concerns that state governors might misuse such security structures for political purposes.
He added that appropriate safeguards and oversight mechanisms could be introduced to prevent abuse.
The foundation argued that a decentralised policing system would improve intelligence gathering and response time to security threats, noting that locally recruited officers often possess better knowledge of the terrain, languages and social networks within their communities.
It stated that such familiarity could help security personnel identify criminal elements earlier and prevent attacks before they escalate.
The group also criticised the current centralised policing structure, noting that many police commands must seek operational approvals from federal authorities in Abuja before taking major decisions.
According to the foundation, delays associated with the system can worsen security situations, particularly in rural communities where bandit and terrorist attacks occur.
It added that establishing state police would enable governors and state security authorities to respond more quickly to threats within their jurisdictions.
The organisation further argued that Nigeria’s security crisis is partly rooted in structural limitations within the existing policing system.
It noted that although state governors are constitutionally recognised as chief security officers of their states, they do not have direct control over the police formations responsible for maintaining security.
Allowing states to establish and manage their own police institutions, the foundation said, would bridge this gap and strengthen the country’s overall security framework.
The group acknowledged concerns that state police could be used for political intimidation but insisted that strong institutional safeguards and legal frameworks could mitigate such risks.
It also highlighted the potential for improved collaboration between state police forces and community-based security networks, including vigilante groups and forest guards.
According to the foundation, several states have already established vigilante groups, but their operations are limited due to legal restrictions and a lack of modern equipment.
The group said that formally recognising state police in the constitution would enable these community security outfits to receive proper training, regulation and equipment to better protect rural communities.
