The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has inaugurated a high-level committee tasked with developing a framework for the establishment and operation of state policing across the country.
Speaking at the ceremony in Abuja, the police chief described the initiative as a strategic response to Nigeria’s shifting security landscape, noting that contemporary threats demand reforms that are both innovative and community-driven.
According to him, the committee has been mandated to design a practical structure for state policing that will complement — rather than conflict with — the existing federal security architecture. He explained that members are expected to study policing models within and outside Nigeria, evaluate the peculiar security needs of various communities, and recommend an operational blueprint that safeguards national cohesion.
The IGP stressed that issues relating to recruitment processes, training standards, funding mechanisms, accountability structures and oversight safeguards would form part of the committee’s terms of reference. He added that public confidence and professionalism must remain central to any proposed model.
“If properly structured, decentralised policing can deepen local intelligence, improve response time, and foster stronger partnerships between law enforcement and the communities they serve,” he stated.
Addressing concerns that state police structures could be manipulated for political purposes, Disu assured that adequate checks and comparative global practices would be examined to prevent abuse. He emphasised that the objective is collaboration, not rivalry, between federal and state authorities.
The committee, chaired by Prof. Olu Ogunsakin, has been given four weeks to submit its report.
Meanwhile, senior officers of the Nigeria Police Force, including several Deputy Inspectors-General who served under the immediate past IGP, Olukayode Adeolu Egbetokun, were present at a strategic meeting convened by Disu in Abuja.
Although it is customary within the Force for senior officers to retire when a junior officer is appointed above them, no official decision has yet been announced regarding their status. The Police Service Commission is reportedly expected to make a determination in due course.
