Former Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor, on Wednesday, 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.
According to the retired General, 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.
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“State police vis-à-vis the federal police is all about command and control,” he said.
He explained that although police formations already exist across local governments and communities, delays often arise because operational authorisation is centralised, slowing responses to security threats.
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.
“Decentralization 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.
Earlier, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, defended the proposed constitutional amendment on state policing, saying consultations by the National Assembly showed widespread public support for decentralising the police.
Kalu argued that Nigeria’s current centralised policing structure had become ineffective in addressing insecurity, stressing that proximity was critical to effective law enforcement.
“The obsolete laws that centralize authorization points for policing have failed us over the years. We noticed that proximity is key in policing,” he said.
He maintained that the proposed legislation includes safeguards to prevent governors from abusing state police.
Governor Dauda Lawal also backed the proposal, saying it would enable governors to fully perform their responsibilities as chief security officers of their states.
Lawal, whose state has battled banditry for more than a decade, said governors currently shoulder responsibility for security without exercising operational control over security agencies.
“I’m happy with the latest development about the state police because it allows us to keep to our responsibility and for our people also to hold us accountable as far as the security situation is concerned,” he said.
He cited Zamfara’s Community Protection Guards as an example of locally recruited security personnel working effectively without political interference, adding that proper legal safeguards would minimise abuse.
Former member of the House of Representatives, Nnenna Elendu Ukeje, however, urged caution, saying the country should first strengthen the existing Nigeria Police Force before establishing separate state police commands.
She argued that while devolution of policing powers was desirable, issues such as funding, training, intelligence, arms control, and inter-agency coordination must first be addressed.
“I do not believe that as we speak today, with the kind of insecurity that Nigeria faces, that state police necessarily will deal with the terrorism that we’re dealing with,” she said.
Also speaking, Senator Adams Oshiomhole questioned whether many states possessed the financial capacity to establish and sustain modern police forces.
He warned that poor welfare for armed personnel could worsen insecurity.
“The most fundamental rule of security is this: a hungry man with a gun is not a security officer; he is a security risk,” Oshiomhole said.
He further cautioned that unless strong, independent oversight institutions were created, state police could become instruments of political intimidation.
The panel broadly agreed that Nigeria’s security architecture requires reform, but participants differed on the speed and framework for implementing state policing, with repeated calls for strong legal safeguards, adequate funding, institutional reforms and effective accountability mechanisms.