Former Commissioner of Police in Anambra, Aderemi Adeoye, has welcomed the move to establish state police in Nigeria, describing it as a “welcome development”.

Adeoye spoke on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, where he also dismissed fears over the establishment of state police.

“It is a mark of development and progress. In developed countries, they do not only have federal police; they also have state police and even local government police, which they call municipal or county police forces. This structure brings policing closer to the people and makes law enforcement an agent of problem-solving.

“This is a welcome development, and I commend the President for his courage, vision, and focus in getting the ball rolling—not just initiating the conversation but also securing the buy-in of critical stakeholders like the National Assembly, which will ultimately carry out these amendments.”

President Bola Tinubu had on Tuesday transmitted a constitutional alteration bill to the Senate seeking to establish state police.

The move is part of efforts to reform Nigeria’s security architecture. Tinubu said the bill will also provide a legal framework for a dual policing structure in the country. It allows the states to establish and operate their own police services alongside the federal police.

It is one of the many steps towards the establishment of state police amid the spike in insecurity across the country.

While many see state policing as critical to addressing Nigeria’s security challenges, there are fears of abuse. But Adeoye has dismissed such fear, asking the National Assembly to put guardrails in place to forestall abuse.

“The basic fear that the majority of our people have regarding state police, as you pointed out, is the fear of abuse. For example, political opponents believe that the government in power might use these forces to oppress them,” the retired police officer said on the breakfast show.

“While these fears may have some traction based on previous experiences—especially in the 1960s when the republic was still nascent—we have come a long way since then, and significant development has happened. Our security challenges have evolved, and we have reached a point where we simply cannot do without a state police structure. While both are necessary, the federal police will exist to handle federal crimes, while the state police will take care of security at the state level.”

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