State Police Alone Won’t End Insecurity – CSOs

Civil society organisations have warned that establishing state police alone will not end Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, urging the Federal Government to tackle the deeper governance, economic and social challenges driving violence and criminality across the country.

The groups made the call during a webinar organised by the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), titled “Insecurity and State Policing in Nigeria: The Way Forward.” Participants included the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) and the Africana League.

They argued that while decentralising policing could improve security response at the grassroots, it must be accompanied by reforms in governance, justice, accountability and youth inclusion to achieve lasting peace.

The Executive Director of RULAAC, Okechukwu Nwanguma, cautioned against treating insecurity as solely a policing issue.

According to him, governance failures, poverty, unemployment, corruption, impunity, weak institutions, communal conflicts and political exclusion have all contributed to the country’s security crisis.

“Police can respond to crime, but they cannot eliminate the structural conditions that produce it. No restructuring of police institutions alone will solve Nigeria’s security crisis,” he said.

Nwanguma said any state policing arrangement must be backed by national standards for recruitment, training and discipline, operational independence from political control, civilian oversight, transparent complaints mechanisms, sustainable funding and protection against political abuse.

“Without these safeguards, decentralisation may simply transfer abuse from Abuja to the state capitals,” he warned.

He also urged the National Assembly to ensure broad consultations with civil society groups, traditional rulers, women, youth organisations, labour unions and security experts before concluding work on constitutional amendments relating to state police.

The Executive Director of the Africana League, Dr Glory Ukwenga, said young people, who constitute more than 70 per cent of Nigeria’s population, must be deliberately included in the proposed policing framework.

She advocated youth representation on state police service commissions and police-community relations committees, youth advisory councils on security, structured consultations with youth organisations, and digital platforms that would enable young people to report security concerns and contribute to policy discussions.

Also speaking, CAPPA Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said Nigeria must build a police service that is rooted in respect for human rights, community participation and public trust rather than fear and political intimidation.

He added that the deterioration of public services and limited access to education, healthcare, electricity, roads, water and employment continue to fuel insecurity, urging the government not to rush constitutional reforms without addressing the weaknesses of existing institutions.

The speakers agreed that Nigeria’s security challenges require more than the creation of additional police forces and urged the Federal Government and lawmakers to ensure that any state policing framework strengthens democracy, accountability and the rule of law rather than creating new avenues for political interference and abuse.