In an interview with Daily Independent on Friday, March 6, 2026, the President of the Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights (CHSR), Alex Omotehinse, has spoken against the creation of state police in Nigeria, warning that state police may create more security challenges if established.
Omotehinse said there is no way a state police system can exist without arming the officers and explained that once armed, such officers may become tools in the hands of state governors or local government leaders.
He expressed fear that political leaders could influence the use of the police for personal or political interests and added that state police might lead to bigger security problems rather than solve existing ones.
According to him, the country should be careful before introducing new security structures, he said Nigeria should first evaluate the performance of existing state security arrangements.
He mentioned that some state security agencies were created to improve safety but have faced criticism from citizens, he said it is important to check what has been achieved by current security bodies before discussing new ones.
He argued that rushing to create state police may not bring the desired results and stressed that his organisation is against the idea of state police.
He said experience has shown that security agencies can be influenced by political power in the country and advised that security solutions should focus more on professionalism and proper management of existing agencies.
He believed that strong national security coordination is more important than creating multiple police structures and called for caution in security reforms, he said Nigeria needs stability and trust in its security system.
”There is no way you will create police that you will not arm them and they would become instruments in the hands of governors and local governments chairmen. If we have state police, it would lead to more problems. Let us see what we have achieved with those ones before we talk of state police. We are against state police,” he said.See_More…