EXPECTEDLY, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday declared a nationwide security emergency, ordering the Nigerian Police and Armed Forces to recruit additional personnel to tackle rising insecurity across the country. He also appealed to the National Assembly to begin legislative legwork on the imperative of State police at this time.
In a statement, the president directed the police to recruit 20,000 new officers, bringing the total planned intake to 50,000. He also authorised the use of National Youth Service Corps camps as temporary training facilities for the recruits. Part of the statement: “Today, in view of the emerging security situation, I have decided to declare a nationwide security emergency and order additional recruitment into the Armed Forces. By this declaration, the police and the army are authorised to recruit more personnel. The police will recruit an additional 20,000 officers, bringing the total to 50,000.
The statement continues: “Although I had previously approved the nationwide upgrade of police training facilities, the police authorities are, by this statement, authorised to use various National Youth Service Corps camps as training depots. The officers being withdrawn from VIP guard duties should undergo crash training to debrief them and deliver more efficient police services when deployed to security-challenged areas of the country.”
Besides, Tinubu gave the Department of State Services (DSS) authority to deploy trained forest guards to flush out terrorists and bandits operating in Nigeria’s forests, and ordered the recruitment of more personnel to strengthen these operations.
“My fellow Nigerians, this is a national emergency, and we are responding by deploying more boots on the ground, especially in security-challenged areas. The times require all hands on deck. As Nigerians, we should all get involved in securing our nation,” Tinubu noted.
The president commended security agencies for their efforts in rescuing 24 schoolgirls in Kebbi and 38 worshippers in Kwara State, and vowed to sustain efforts to free students still held hostage in Niger State. He also praised the bravery of soldiers who have lost their lives in recent operations, including Brigadier-General Musa Uba.
More important, Tinubu called on the National Assembly to review laws to allow states to establish state police where necessary and urged local authorities and religious institutions to improve security measures.
He further highlighted the government’s Livestock Ministry initiative, urging herders to end open grazing, surrender illegal weapons, and adopt ranching to prevent farmer-herder clashes. His directive to school and worship centre managers: “States should rethink establishing boarding schools in remote areas without adequate security. Mosques and churches should constantly seek police and other security protection when they gather for prayers, especially in vulnerable areas.
“Our administration created the Livestock Ministry to address the persistent clashes between herders and farmers. I call on all herder associations to take advantage of it, end open grazing, and surrender illegal weapons. According to the president, “Ranching is now the path forward for sustainable livestock farming and national harmony. The Federal Government, in collaboration with the states, will work with you to solve this problem, once and for all…”
The issue of State Police has become a buzzword in Nigeria’s presidential Villa. Anytime our leaders face clear and present danger, they remember it as a policy instrument to curb internal security challenges. But whenever they sense that tension has been defused by some meretricious actions, they always forget until terrorists strike again. This time, the challenge from the most powerful government on earth, the United States has triggered the alarm bell on the imperative of State Police, which Tinubu’s predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari whose complacency, sorry complicity emboldened insurgents vehemently opposed.
Let’s tell president Tinubu to freeze politics of 2027 immediately and begin restructuring of this accident-prone federation some crisis merchants would like to fail on his watch. He should dispatch today a Constitution Amendment Bill to the National Assembly, we all know will work on it immediately, because the president is involved. The president should not wait for his directive on Wednesday – for the National Assembly “to review laws to allow states to establish state police where necessary. The President should not wait for the docile federal legislature to draft the Bill.
Meanwhile, president Tinubu has the current Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun to contend with on the state police matter and here is why:
‘IGP differs with Tinubu on state police’
In April, 2024, the Nigeria Police Force said Nigeria was not yet ready for the establishment of state-controlled police.
The Inspector General of Police, Egbetokun, said then that Nigeria was not mature to operate state governments-controlled police. The IGP stated that at the dialogue on state police organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review. Egbetokun, who was represented by Ben Okolo, an Assistant Inspector General of Nigeria Police Force, said the National Assembly should instead merge the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) as departments under the federal police.
He stated that the police are opposed to the idea of state police but urged the lawmakers to properly fund the existing federal policing structure. His words: “It is the submission of the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force that Nigeria is yet to be mature and ready for the establishment of state-controlled police.”
He also argued that state policing would further exacerbate the existing ethnic tension in Nigeria. The speech was met with jeers and loud protests from the audience, who booed Mr Okolo. Mr Egbetokun’s position is against the publicly expressed stance of President Tinubu who had in February, 2024 met with state governors in Abuja during which they considered “the possibility of setting up state police.”
‘Lagos Assembly, Conference of Speakers blast the IGP over state police’.
There should be no cause for concern for the President as the Lagos State House of Assembly and the Nigeria’s Conference of Speakers strongly attacked the position of the leadership of the Nigerian Police Force at the same venue. At the same Committee’s colloquium, Speakers of State Houses of Assembly clashed with the IGP’s men over agitations for the creation of state police. The Speakers’ Conference, through its Chairman Adebo Ogundoyin (Oyo State) said the security challenges in the country could better be addressed with a multi-level policing, which include establishment of state police.
Ogundoyin, who is also the Oyo State Houses of Assembly Speaker, restated his colleagues unwavering commitment to strengthen the nation’s security institutions and would continue to inspire confidence in the connected resolve to safeguard this nation.
He said further: “As the Speakers of Houses of Assembly nationwide, we know exactly where the issue pinches when it comes to a security because we all face our various types of insecurity in our states. We know that the president’s commitment is unwavering in strengthening our security institutions and to continue to inspire confidence in our collective resolve. From insurgency in the northeast, banditry and kidnapping in the Northwest and North-central to herders’ and farmers’ clashes in the North-central and also all across the South which directly affects food security which is another issue that is very important for us to address and protect…”
“Therefore, this is an opportunity to align our legislative priorities with the realities faced by our people in ensuring that the constitutional and legal framework of security evolves to be the present and future challenges of the Nigerian police force and other agencies who despite working under extreme challenging conditions continue to make sacrifices to protect our nation”.
He dropped the clincher: “Yet, it is now evident that centralised policing structure, no matter how well intentioned, has become overstretched. It is on this basis the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria subscribe to the establishment of state police and constitutional imperative. This is not a mere political position, it is a patriotic and strategic necessity. We recognise that the concerns have been raised regarding the potential abuse, the capacity, the limitations and inter-jurisdictional conflict. But these are not insurmountable challenges because everyone at present knows the situation of things. The Nigeria Police Force also face challenges and the state government across the federation also support them in their own day-to-day work…”
‘Lagos Assembly too faults IG’s opposition to state police’
The Lagos State House of Assembly too kicked against the position of the Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, that Nigeria was not ripe for the establishment of state police.
The Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, had then directed the Clerk of the House, Olalekan Onafeko, to write the IG and the National Assembly, stating that the state lawmakers rejected Egbetokun’s position.
Even at the plenary in Abuja, Obasa had noted that the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, which the IG suggested could be merged, had not been able to solve the problems of accidents on roads and pipeline vandalism. He wondered how effective they would be if they were merged with the police force. His words:
“In Lagos State, we have the Security Trust Fund through which successive administrations, starting from that of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, have provided enormous support to the police command in Lagos. Yet, crime of different dimensions has continued. This shows that no matter what Egbetokun has proffered as a solution, such won’t solve our problem. The position of the IG is unacceptable. We strongly believe that if we have state police, we would be able to solve the issues of crime in our nation or reduce it to the minimum. As we have seen in other climes, the United Kingdom has different levels of policing just like the United States of America. So why should ours be different?”
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is constitutionally established under Section 214(1) of the 1999 constitution as amended, which provides that “there shall be a police force for Nigeria which shall be known as the Nigerian Police Force and subject to the provisions of this section, no other police force shall be established for the federation or any part thereof.
Furthermore, Section 215(1) provides for the appointment of the Inspector-General of Police by the President on the advice of the Nigerian Police Council (NPC). It also places the operational command and administration of the force under the leadership of Inspector-General of Police. The constitutional provisions clarify the centralised character of policing and the operational authority entrusted to the IGP under the supervision of the President and Police Council. That is what Egbetokun is protecting and that is the Section that urgently requires an amendment.
With constitutional safeguards, clear command structures, legislative clarity, independent oversight mechanisms, and well-defined frameworks for inter-agency collaboration, state police can become a force for justice, accountability and grassroots protection. There are a total of 48 civilian police forces in the United Kingdom; 43 territorial forces across England and Wales, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Police Scotland, and three special police forces (the British Transport Police, Civil Nuclear Constabulary, and Ministry of Defence Police), etc.
There should be no procrastination again. The Nigerian people are hereby saying, we need state police for our protection. The concerns of those who are opposed to the idea whose time has come should be debated at the National Assembly.
- Oloja is former editor of The Guardian newspaper and his column, Inside Stuff, runs on the back page of the newspaper on Sunday. The column appears on News Point Nigeria newspaper on Monday.