Nigerian governors remain divided on the creation of State Police amid rising insecurity across the country. While some states are already laying the groundwork for decentralised policing, critics warn that Nigeria lacks the safeguards to prevent governors from misusing such forces for political control.
Governors from Ogun State (Dapo Abiodun), Plateau State (Caleb Mutfwang), Kano State (Abba Yusuf), and those of Zamfara, Taraba, Kebbi, Adamawa, Nasarawa, and Kwara support the idea of state police. They have begun implementing measures to introduce community policing in their regions.
On the other hand, governors like Borno State’s Babagana Zulum and his Sokoto State counterpart argue that Nigeria is not ready for state police. They believe the country is not yet mature enough to manage decentralised forces safely.
This debate comes as Nigeria faces worsening security challenges, including insurgency, banditry, kidnappings, and communal clashes, which have stretched the centrally controlled Nigeria Police Force to its limits.
President Bola Tinubu has publicly expressed his support for state police as a solution to combat insecurity. Recently, the new Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, established a committee to create measures to implement state police across the country.
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