A pan-Igbo socio-political organisation, the Ndi Igbo Worldwide Union, has rejected ongoing proposals to establish state police in Nigeria, insisting that the country should instead return to a regional policing structure similar to the system that existed before the 1966 military coup.
In a statement signed by its President, Mazi Ben Nwankwo, and Secretary, Chief Charles Edemuzo Saturday, the group argued that regional policing remains the most effective way to tackle Nigeria’s worsening security challenges, including banditry, kidnapping, and communal violence.
The union said many Nigerians have lost confidence in the current centralized security system and warned that creating state police forces would not solve the underlying problems.
“State police is not the answer. Regional police, modeled on the successful architecture of 1955–1966, is the minimum requirement for meaningful reform,” the statement said.
The call comes amid renewed national debate about decentralising policing in Nigeria. President Bola Tinubu has urged constitutional amendments to allow state police as part of broader efforts to address insecurity across the country.
Supporters of state policing argue that decentralising security operations would enable faster responses to local threats. Nigeria currently operates a centralized police structure controlled by the federal government.
However, the Ndi Igbo Worldwide Union believes the state police proposal could create new political and governance problems.
According to the group, Nigeria once experienced its most stable and prosperous period under the regional system that existed between the mid-1950s and 1966, when the Northern, Western, and Eastern Regions enjoyed significant autonomy, including their own police forces.
The union argued that policing worked more effectively during that period because officers were drawn from local communities and had deep knowledge of the language, culture, and geography of the areas they served.
“Nigeria’s most progressive and peaceful era occurred between 1955 and 1966 when the regions operated their own police forces,” the group said.
It added that local knowledge and cultural understanding are essential for effective policing.
“Indigenous officers policed familiar terrain, spoke local languages and understood community dynamics. This fostered trust and improved security,” the statement added.
The group blamed Nigeria’s current security difficulties partly on the centralized policing structure introduced after the military takeover in 1966.
According to the union, the system often places officers in communities where they lack cultural familiarity and community relationships, which can undermine trust and effectiveness.
“The centralization imposed after 1966 dismantled an effective system and replaced it with a distant national force often commanded by officers unfamiliar with the regions they serve,” the group said.
The organisation argued that sending officers from distant regions to command policing operations elsewhere could create mistrust between communities and security agencies.
“Regional police would empower officers indigenous to their geopolitical zones and provide built-in checks against any single governor weaponising the police,” the union said.
The group suggested that the six geopolitical zones—North West, North East, North Central, South East, South West and South-South—could each operate regional police commands.
Beyond the policing debate, the organisation also warned that Nigeria must undertake deeper structural reforms to maintain unity and stability.
It said restoring regional autonomy in governance and security would strengthen the federation and revive healthy competition among regions.
“The time for cosmetic fixes is over. Nigeria must return to the regions—or risk losing the federation altogether,” the statement warned.
The union called on President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to prioritise constitutional amendments that would allow regional policing structures rather than introducing state-level forces.
It added, “Failure to restore genuine regional autonomy in security and governance leaves self-determination as the only remaining option for peoples who can no longer endure systemic failure.”d