State Police: IGP Sets Up Panel On Framework

The push for state police gathered momentum yesterday as newly sworn-in Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Tunji Disu, inaugurated a high-powered committee to develop a framework for its implementation, declaring that decentralised policing “has come to stay.”

The move comes amid renewed national debate and repeated calls for state police, as well as President Bola Tinubu’s recent charge to the National Assembly to amend the 1999 Constitution to accommodate it as part of broader security reforms.

Disu, who succeeded Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, was sworn in, yesterday, by Tinubu as the 23rd indigenous Inspector-General of Police at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said the committee’s assignment is “significant and timely” given Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.

Framework in four weeks

The committee, chaired by Professor Olu Ogunsakin, has four weeks to submit its report.

Other members include CP Emmanuel Ojukwu (retd), CP Bode Ojajuni, DCP Okebuchi Ogora, ACP Ikechukwu Okafor, CSP Tolulope Ipinmisho and others.

According to the IGP, the panel is to develop a workable framework through which state policing can operate without undermining national security.

“The committee will review policing models within and outside Nigeria, assess community security needs, identify potential risks, and propose an operational structure for the establishment and coordination of state police systems,” Disu said.

He added that issues of recruitment, training standards, funding, accountability and oversight mechanisms will also be addressed to ensure professionalism and sustain public trust.

“If properly designed and implemented, state policing could bring law enforcement closer to the people, enhance local knowledge of security dynamics and enable quicker responses to emerging threats,” he said.

Disu stressed that decentralisation will allow state and local authorities to respond more effectively to internal security challenges, while the Federal Government focuses on broader national priorities.

“The vision we seek is one of synergy, not competition; partnership, not duplication,” he added.

Fears of political misuse

On concerns that state governors may hijack state police for political vendetta, the IGP assured that such fears will be taken into account.

“All those fears will be considered. Nigeria is not the only country operating state policing. Comparative studies will guide our recommendations,” he said.

He emphasised that the Police is not threatened by the reform.

“State police has come to stay. Our jobs are not being taken. It is an issue of partnership,” Disu stated