The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has inaugurated a committee on State Policing, describing the initiative as a significant step toward strengthening Nigeria’s internal security architecture and improving community-based policing across the country.
Speaking during the inauguration ceremony, the IGP said the task before the committee was both “significant and timely,” noting that Nigeria’s evolving security challenges require innovative thinking, strategic collaboration and bold reforms to make policing more responsive to local realities.
The Chairman of the Committee is Prof Olu Ogunsakin, CP Bode Ojajuni becomes the Secretary of the committee while members are CP Okebuchi Ogora, CP Suleiman Guma, CP Okechukwu Okagor, CSP Tolulope Ipimiso, and CP Emmanuel Ojukwu (RTD).
According to him, the committee is expected to develop a workable framework through which state policing can operate in Nigeria without undermining the country’s national security structure.
Disu stated that the committee’s responsibilities include reviewing existing policing models within and outside Nigeria, assessing community security needs, identifying potential risks, and proposing an operational structure for the establishment and coordination of state police systems.
He added that the committee would also address key issues relating to recruitment procedures, training standards, resource allocation, and the development of accountability and oversight mechanisms that will ensure professionalism and sustain public trust in the policing system.
The IGP noted that 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 within communities.
He explained that decentralising certain policing responsibilities would allow state governments and local authorities to respond more effectively to security challenges within their jurisdictions, while the federal government focuses on broader national security priorities.
Disu also reassured officers and personnel of the Nigeria Police Force that the proposed state policing framework would not diminish the role of the federal police.
“The Nigerian Police Force will continue to play its constitutional role as the primary national law enforcement institution responsible for maintaining internal security across the federation,” he said.
He added that the reform would instead enhance efficiency by allowing the federal police to concentrate on complex and transnational crimes such as terrorism, organised crime, cybercrime, trafficking networks, and other security threats that require national coordination.
“The vision we seek is one of synergy, not competition; partnership, not duplication,” the IGP emphasized.
Disu urged members of the committee to carry out their assignment with diligence, professionalism, and patriotism, noting that the expectations of Nigerians are high and that the committee’s recommendations would play a crucial role in shaping the future of policing in the country.
He thereafter formally declared the Committee on State Police inaugurated and wished its members a productive deliberation.
