State police underway as IGP Disu sets up 7-man implementation committee

This followed his confirmation as the 23^rd indigenous police chief.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in Abuja, Disu said the move was a critical step towards strengthening Nigeria’s internal security architecture and enhancing community-based law enforcement.

Headed by Prof Olu Ogunsakin, the IGP said the country’s evolving security challenges demand innovative thinking, strategic collaboration and bold reforms.

The other members include Messrs Bode Ojajuni (secretary), Okebechi Agora, Suleyman Gulma, Ikechukwu Okafor, Tolulope Ipinmisho, and Emmanuel Ojukwu.

According to him, the committee has a critical responsibility to shape a framework through which state policing can operate.

“It is my greatest privilege to formally inaugurate this committee on state policing. The task before this committee is both significant and timely as it speaks to our reflective demand to strengthen Nigeria’s security.

“The committee we are inaugurating today has a critical responsibility. Your work will help shape the framework through which state policing may operate in Nigeria in a manner that strengthens, rather than fragments, our national security system.

“In carrying out this assignment, your deliberations must be guided by professionalism, objectivity, and a clear appreciation of the unique complexities of policing a diverse nation such as ours.

“Among other responsibilities, the Committee is expected to: review existing policing models within and outside Nigeria; assess community security needs and emerging risks across the country; propose an operational framework for the establishment and coordination of State Police structures; address issues relating to recruitment, training, standards, and resource allocation; develop robust accountability and oversight mechanisms to ensure professionalism and public trust,” he said.

The IGP further said if the framework is thoughtfully designed and effectively implemented, state policing holds significant potential benefits for our country.

“By bringing law enforcement closer to communities, state police institutions can deepen local knowledge of security dynamics and enable quicker and more targeted responses to emerging threats,” Disu said.

“Nigeria’s evolving security challenges require innovative thinking, strategic collaboration and bold reforms to make policing more responsive to local realities,” he said.

Disu charged the committee to be guided by professionalism, objectivity and a clear understanding of the complexities of policing in a diverse nation.

The police chief highlighted the potential benefits of decentralised policing if carefully designed and effectively implemented.

He stated that a decentarlised police force would enable state governments and local authorities to respond more effectively to security challenges within their jurisdictions, while the federal government concentrates on broader national priorities.

“The vision we seek is one of synergy, not competition; partnership, not duplication,” he said, urging members to carry out their assignment with diligence, professionalism and patriotism.

He urged members of the committee to approach their assignment with diligence, intellectual rigour and patriotism, noting that the expectations of Nigerians are high and that the outcome of their work will significantly shape the future of policing in the country.

Responding to concerns that state governors might hijack state police structures for political purposes, the IGP assured that such fears would be taken into consideration. He noted that Nigeria would draw from comparative studies of other countries operating state policing systems.

Disu reassured officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force that their constitutional role as the primary national law enforcement institution remains intact.

He explained that the federal police would concentrate more strategically on complex and transnational crimes such as terrorism, organised crime, cybercrime and trafficking networks that require national coordination and specialised capacity.

“The vision we seek is one of synergy, not competition; partnership, not duplication,” the IGP stated.

It was reported that senior officers of the NPF, including deputy inspectors-general (DIGs) who served under the immediate past IGP, Olukayode Egbetokun, attended a strategic meeting convened by Disu in Abuja.

Among those present were DIGs Frank Mba, Sadiq Abubakar, Basil Idgwu, Bzigu Kwazhi, Gumel, Fayoade and Adeola Hamzat.

It was learnt that the Police Service Commission was yet to take a formal decision on the status of the affected officers, many of whom are senior to the new IGP. By tradition within the Force, senior officers are expected to retire once a junior officer is appointed above them.

Newsgazett