State governors have called for sweeping fiscal, judicial and constitutional reforms to support the implementation of State Police, insisting that decentralising policing without addressing revenue allocation, judicial independence, funding and operational capacity would weaken the proposed security architecture.
The governors made the submissions at the National Security Town Hall on State Policing, where they agreed that the national conversation had moved beyond whether Nigeria should establish State Police to how the proposed system should be implemented.
Speaking virtually, Anambra State governor, Chukwuma Soludo, said the focus should now be on creating a sustainable security and justice system rather than debating the desirability of State Police.
“The issue is no longer whether or not to have State Police. I think we have gone beyond that. The issue now is how State Police needs to be seen in the context of the unfinished business towards a sustainable security and justice system,” Soludo said.
He argued that establishing state police without broader constitutional reforms would undermine the initiative, stressing that policing and the justice system must evolve together.
“We cannot continue with a system where every appeal from state matters ends up at the federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. If we are serious about true federalism, we must create State Appellate Courts and State Supreme Courts to deal with matters that fall exclusively within state jurisdiction,” he said.
The governor also advocated a review of Nigeria’s revenue-sharing formula to give states greater financial capacity to discharge their expanded constitutional responsibilities.
According to him, operational effectiveness would also depend on adequate equipment and legal authority for state police to confront heavily armed criminals.
“You cannot send officers carrying inferior weapons to confront criminals armed with AK-47 rifles and General Purpose Machine Guns. If we want state police to succeed, they must have the capacity to confront the threats they are established to fight,” Soludo added.
Also speaking, Ogun State governor and chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum, Dapo Abiodun, described state policing as central to the country’s quest for true federalism and improved grassroots security.
“The creation of state police remains a non-negotiable component of our collective demand for true federalism and effective grassroots security. Our region has consistently advocated for a policing system that is closer to the people, more responsive to local realities and better equipped to address the rapidly evolving threats we face,” Abiodun said.
He noted that criminal networks had become increasingly sophisticated, making locally driven intelligence more important than ever.
“Devolving policing powers will strengthen our early warning systems and enable us to better secure vulnerable farmlands, industrial corridors, schools and border communities.
“We are also engaging our traditional rulers because they remain the closest authorities to the grassroots and are critical to intelligence gathering,” he said.
Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah, said the financial implications of state policing must be addressed realistically, noting that states were already financing a significant portion of security operations.
“States are already bearing a huge funding burden for security. We are investing enormous resources in supporting security agencies, and if state police is to succeed, there must be a structured fiscal framework that guarantees sustainable funding,” Mbah said.
On safeguards against abuse, Plateau State governor, Caleb Mutfwang, said the proposed policing model in Plateau would be founded on professionalism, inclusiveness and accountability.
He disclosed that the state had established an advisory committee to develop an operational framework for state police.
“Our approach is built on strict principles of professionalism and accountability. The state police framework we are designing will be inclusive and will serve all citizens equally, irrespective of religion, ethnicity or political affiliation,” Mutfwang said.
He added that public confidence in state police would depend on ensuring that officers operated impartially and remained accountable to the law rather than political interests.
The governors’ submissions reinforced growing support for decentralised policing but also underscored the need for constitutional amendments, increased fiscal autonomy, judicial reforms and institutional safeguards before the proposed state police system is implemented.
Also, the governor of Zamfara State, Mr Dauda Lawal, assured that state police would go a very long way to tackle the insecurity.
Governor Lawal observed that insecurity had persisted in the states because the structure of command and control had not been under the chief executives of the states.
According to him, when state governments are responsible for the security of lives and properties in their domain, the police would be more equipped and more personnel employed to tackle crime.
“With state police, we can now bear the proper title of ‘Chief Security Officer’.
While dismissing claims of abuse by state executive, the governor noted that almost all states of the federation have one or more security apparatus in place and none of these security outfits have been used to oppress opposition in the states.
He, however, urged the lawmakers to put measures in place to prevent abuse.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, also said decentralising policing would improve response to crime by bringing law enforcement closer to the people.
Speaking during a panel discussion on state policing, Kalu said the debate should not be viewed as choosing between governance and policing, insisting that both are inseparable because security is the primary responsibility of government.
He said, “You can’t take policing outside governance because policing is part of governance. The primary purpose of government is to protect lives and property, and in protecting lives and property, you use security structures, security systems.
“In this case, the police is one of those structures that we use for the protection of lives and property,” he said.
The deputy speaker said the National Assembly reviewed the effectiveness of Nigeria’s existing policing system through consultations and public hearings, which, according to him, revealed a broad consensus that the country’s security architecture requires reform.
“As a Parliament, we have consulted and we found out that there is a general consensus among Nigerians in the course of our public hearing that it is an issue that must be attended to. We must retool what we have currently as a structure that protects lives and properties,” Kalu said.
He explained that lawmakers examined several options, including increased funding, restructuring and decentralisation, before concluding that the current centralised policing system had become ineffective.
According to him, requiring security authorisation from Abuja before responding to incidents in distant communities often delays intervention until after crimes have already been committed.
“If the authorisation point is at Abuja and events are happening far from Abuja, by the time the authorisation comes, you find out that the incidence of crime has already taken place. By the time you respond and it is irredeemable, it means that the police have not achieved the purpose for which it was set up,” he said.
“We said, let us unbundle what we have at the moment so that response time to incidents of crime will be quicker. It is also to bring it closer to the people who understand the terrain. Those who live in the forest will understand the forest better, as well as protect it better.
“A situation where you have somebody in the creeks who understands the waterways protecting that area will be easier than bringing somebody from another part of the country who may not understand the language, the culture or the terrain,” he added.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole has warned that establishing state police without fiscal autonomy, institutional maturity and independent oversight would merely “decentralise tyranny” rather than solve Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North and is a former governor of Edo State and former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), stated this during a panel discussion on state policing, where he argued that the debate should be driven by practical realities instead of emotions.
Oshiomhole said, “We must stop discussing complex national security issues with emotional romanticism. We must look at the hard, cold facts on the ground.”
The senator questioned the financial capacity of many states to establish and sustain modern police forces, noting that several state governments were already struggling to meet salary obligations.
He said policing involved far more than purchasing patrol vehicles, stressing that it required sustained investment in personnel training, intelligence gathering, insurance, pensions and sophisticated equipment.
He warned that failure to pay state police personnel regularly could create fresh security threats, arguing that governments unable to meet their wage obligations should not be entrusted with heavily armed security outfits.
Drawing from his experience as a former governor, Oshiomhole also expressed concerns that state police could be manipulated for political purposes if placed under governors without robust constitutional safeguards.
He cited the conduct of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), which he said often produced outcomes overwhelmingly favouring ruling parties, as evidence of the need for caution.
Former Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor, on Wednesday also cautioned that Nigeria’s push for state policing must be guided by “deliberate, tactical precision rather than political emotion”, warning that decentralising the police without strong legal safeguards, clear operational structures and effective oversight could weaken national security instead of strengthening it.
Irabor stated this during a panel discussion on state policing, where senior government officials, lawmakers and security stakeholders debated whether decentralising the Nigeria Police Force would improve the country’s response to insecurity.
The retired general noted that the debate should not focus solely on bringing policing closer to communities, but on building an effective command-and-control system that allows for quicker responses while preserving national security cohesion.
Irabor warned that creating state police without clearly defining operational jurisdictions could lead to conflicts, particularly when criminal groups move across state boundaries.
He also said fears that state police could be abused for political purposes should not be dismissed, urging lawmakers to establish robust institutional safeguards, federal training standards and an independent oversight mechanism to ensure professionalism and accountability.
“Decentralisation is necessary because our current numbers and response times are unsustainable. But let us proceed with deliberate, tactical precision rather than political emotion,” he said.
