A former Inspector-General of Police, Dr Kayode Egbetokun, has called for a constitutionally defined multi-level policing system and the establishment of research centres within Nigeria’s security institutions.
Delivering the keynote address at the 20th International Conference and General Assembly of the Society for Peace Studies and Practice (SPSP) in Ibadan, Egbetokun proposed a federal, state and community policing structure, with clear rules of engagement, funding and accountability.
Speaking at Lead City University on the theme “Security Governance and Global Dynamics,” he said lasting progress requires reform of the structures of security, not just its equipment.
Reflecting on his time as head of the Nigeria Police Force, he praised the dedication of officers. He, however, advised that devolution of policing powers to states and communities should be approached with caution, stressing the need for clarity of roles. “We must support the government to achieve this,” he said.
The ex-police chief also urged the setting up of research centres in police colleges, military institutions and other security agencies, with after-action reviews, data analytics and evidence-based policing. Security agencies, he noted, are rich in experience but not in documentation.
Peace as a pillar of security
Egbetokun, a Fellow of the Society who described the occasion as a homecoming, said peace is “one of the pillars” of security. “Where peace cannot be sustained, security itself cannot endure,” he said, drawing on more than three decades of frontline experience in command, operations, policy and leadership.
“Security is not what is provided alone by government; it must be produced by society,” he added. He said government, the private sector, academia, communities and citizens all have roles to play, and that public trust is “security infrastructure.”
Global threats, local effects
The former IGP said no country faces a purely local security problem. Terrorism, banditry, cybercrime, arms and drug trafficking and illicit financial flows, he said, are “global networks with local franchises in Nigeria,” making local insecurity, in effect, “a supply chain.”
He called for a shift from national to networked security, noting that the state remains indispensable but no institution can work effectively alone. He also urged that governance keep pace with technologies such as artificial intelligence, so that innovation is matched by accountability.
He further recommended a national framework for information integrity to counter disinformation, hate speech and extremist propaganda while protecting free speech, and stronger regional and global partnerships against transnational crime.
People at the centre
Egbetokun said security must be anchored in human dignity, with national security strategy built around citizens’ daily needs, including food, jobs, health and school security. “A secure state with insecure citizens is not truly secure,” he said.
He added that tackling poverty and unemployment is key to denying extremist ideologies a recruitment base, and that “there is no military solution to a governance problem.”
He outlined a governance model built on prevention and resilience, institutional continuity, evidence-led decisions, coordination, responsible use of technology and public legitimacy.
He commended the SPSP for bridging scholarship and practice, and urged participants to let “evidence inform policy” and “experience inform research.”
The conference, which runs from October 5 to 9, brings together scholars, security chiefs, policymakers, diplomats and peacebuilders.
