There are defining moments in the life of every nation when silence ceases to be wisdom and becomes a dangerous form of complicity. Nigeria appears to be approaching one such moment with the renewed, aggressive push by the Tinubu administration to establish state police across the federation. While advocates of decentralised policing present it as a solution to insecurity, a careful examination of Nigeria’s political realities, constitutional structure, institutional weaknesses, and historical experiences suggests that the country is not yet sufficiently mature for such a lethal experiment.

The issue of state police must not be approached emotionally or politically. It must be examined through the lenses of constitutional law, democratic stability, national cohesion, institutional capacity, and historical evidence. Security architecture in a fragile federation must never become an instrument of political oppression.

Nigeria remains a deeply pluralistic society characterised by ethnic diversity, religious sensitivities, regional loyalties, and persistent political tensions. In such a setting, granting coercive policing powers to state governors presents enormous risks. The danger is not theoretical; it is historically established and institutionally foreseeable.

The manipulation of local government elections by several State Independent Electoral Commissions already demonstrates the extent to which political power can be abused at subnational levels. In many states, local elections have become little more than ceremonial exercises designed to legitimise predetermined outcomes in favour of ruling political parties. Opposition voices are routinely suppressed, electoral fairness weakened, and democratic competition undermined.

If governors can so easily manipulate electoral institutions under their influence, there is legitimate public concern that state police may eventually become instruments for political intimidation, suppression of dissent, harassment of critics, arbitrary arrests, and persecution of perceived opponents. The concentration of coercive force under politically exposed governors in a still fragile democracy could severely endanger civil liberties and democratic accountability.

The constitutional position on policing in Nigeria is both deliberate and unambiguous. Section 214(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) provides: “There shall be a Police Force for Nigeria, which shall be known as the Nigeria Police Force, and subject to the provisions of this section, no other police force shall be established for the Federation or any part thereof.”

This provision clearly establishes a unified national policing system and expressly prohibits the establishment of separate state or regional police structures unless the Constitution itself is amended. The framers of the Constitution intentionally adopted a centralised policing structure in response to Nigeria’s historical experiences with politically controlled local police formations during the First Republic.

The Nigeria Police Act, 2020, further reinforces the framework for modern policing in Nigeria. Section 4 of the Act outlines the statutory responsibilities of the Nigeria Police Force, including the prevention and detection of crime, the protection of lives and property, the preservation of law and order, intelligence gathering, and support for prosecution. The Act also introduced reforms aimed at strengthening professionalism, accountability, human rights protections, and community policing initiatives.

Similarly, the Police Service Commission established under Paragraph 30, Part I of the Third Schedule to the Constitution serves as an institutional safeguard against excessive political interference. The Commission is responsible for appointments, promotions, discipline, and oversight of police officers, except for the office of the Inspector-General of Police. This arrangement was specifically designed to preserve national standards and reduce partisan manipulation of security institutions.

Nigeria’s history offers sobering lessons against the dangers of decentralised coercive policing. During the First Republic, Native Authority Police and Local Government Police were frequently abused by regional political leaders to intimidate political opponents and suppress dissent. Political violence became widespread, especially in the old Western Region during the infamous “Operation Wetie” crisis of the mid-1960s. Those abuses contributed significantly to instability, democratic collapse, and ultimately the military coup of January 1966.

History, therefore, warns Nigeria against placing coercive policing powers under highly partisan local political authorities without first developing strong democratic institutions and effective accountability mechanisms.

Supporters of State Police often cite countries such as the United States, India, Canada, Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom as examples of successful decentralised policing. However, such comparisons frequently ignore the significant institutional differences between those countries and Nigeria.

In the United States, for example, policing powers are divided among federal, state, county, and municipal agencies. However, the American system operates within a framework of strong institutions, judicial independence, entrenched constitutional culture, robust civil rights enforcement, legislative oversight, and relatively stable democratic traditions. Despite these safeguards, the United States still grapples with allegations of police brutality, racial profiling, excessive force, and abuse of authority.

India also operates state-controlled policing structures, yet political interference in policing remains a persistent national concern. Several reform commissions and judicial panels in India have repeatedly warned against the misuse of police powers by political actors.

Mexico’s decentralised policing structure has often suffered from corruption, cartel infiltration, and weak accountability, thereby requiring repeated intervention by federal authorities.

South Africa, despite being a federal-oriented state, largely operates a national policing structure under the South African Police Service, while placing greater emphasis on community policing partnerships.

The United Kingdom operates regional police systems under centuries-old democratic traditions, institutional discipline, and parliamentary accountability mechanisms that remain significantly stronger than those presently obtainable in Nigeria.

Nigeria, unfortunately, continues to struggle with weak institutions, electoral irregularities, abuse of executive powers, judicial inefficiencies, ethnic tensions, and a fragile democratic culture. Under such conditions, decentralising coercive security powers may produce greater instability rather than improved security.

Furthermore, Nigeria already possesses multiple security, intelligence, and paramilitary agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, National Intelligence Agency, Defence Intelligence Agency, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Customs Service, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigerian Correctional Service, and the Federal Fire Service.

In addition to these federal institutions, local security support mechanisms such as the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), vigilante groups, hunters’ associations, forest guards, and community watch groups already operate in several parts of the country. Rather than creating constitutionally risky State Police structures, Nigeria should prioritise strengthening coordination among existing agencies, improving intelligence sharing, modernising equipment, enhancing officer welfare, investing in surveillance technology, strengthening border security, and reforming the criminal justice system.

Most importantly, Nigeria should deepen and institutionalise effective community policing. Community policing represents a safer, more democratic, and sustainable alternative to state police because it promotes collaboration between security agencies and local communities without surrendering coercive policing powers to partisan political authorities.

Community policing enhances grassroots intelligence gathering, builds public trust, improves early threat detection, encourages participation by traditional rulers and community leaders, and supports preventive rather than reactive security strategies. Under the existing federal structure, police officers can be strategically posted to communities familiar to them while still remaining under national command, professional standards, and constitutional safeguards.

The central issue is therefore not whether Nigeria requires better security; it undoubtedly does. The real question is whether the state police is the safest and most responsible solution under Nigeria’s current institutional realities. The answer, at least for now, appears to be in the negative.

Nigeria is not yet institutionally mature for state police. What the nation urgently requires is a stronger and more professional federal police, improved intelligence coordination, modern equipment, enhanced welfare for officers, judicial reforms, technological advancement, and an efficient system of community policing rooted in accountability and public trust.

The security architecture of a fragile federation must never become a political weapon in the hands of desperate politicians. Most importantly, many states with a majority and a minor ethnic group can be disadvantaged and will be oppressed.

Kwache, a legal practitioner, writes from Michika, Adamawa State Iliya.kwache55@gmail.com