The Long Road Ahead for State Police in Nigeria: Despite billions of Naira spent on security operations and enhancements over the past decade, cases of killings, kidnapping for ransom, suspected rituals / organ harvesting, gang clashes, herdsmen attacks, ethnic and religious clashes, etc. continue to rise across the country. The escalating insecurity, seeming failure of the Nigeria Police Force (“NPF”) to proactively prevent crime, together with inability of Governors to direct the affairs of state commands of the NPF – being a federal agency – has set the tone for repeated calls over the years for establishment of a police force by each of the states of the federation (in line with true federalism). Spurred, therefore, by seeming helplessness in taking real charge of the security situation in their respective States, the Governors recently proposed the creation of a police force for each of the states in Nigeria. As reported, the presidency and governors have agreed to explore the establishment of State Police. This is the first time in close to 25 years that the Federal Government has entertained the idea and indicated a willingness to continue the conversation. Interestingly, a new bill for creation of state police was presented before the House of Representatives (Nigeria’s junior legislative house at the federal level) for second reading a week ago. In our Policy Brief, we shared thoughts, made recommendations and described the process that could lead to a major policy shift in Nigeria. Read the policy brief below. #NPF #Defence #Security #PublicPolicy
