The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) welcomes efforts to address Nigeria’s persistent security challenges through constitutional reforms that allow for the establishment of State Police. For many years, RULAAC has advocated a decentralised policing structure as part of broader security sector reforms aimed at making policing more effective, accountable, responsive, and community-oriented.
The proposed constitutional provisions represent a significant shift from the current centralised policing system and contain some important safeguards designed to balance the autonomy of State Police with the need to preserve national security and constitutional order.
Particularly noteworthy is the provision limiting federal intervention in State Police operations to clearly defined circumstances, namely where there is a complete breakdown of law and order beyond the capacity of the State Police, where intervention is requested by the Governor, or where a State Police service becomes unable to function effectively. The requirement that such an intervention receive prior approval from the National Police Council provides an additional institutional safeguard against arbitrary federal interference in state security affairs.
RULAAC also notes the effort to establish parallel chains of command for Federal and State Police Services while subjecting appointments of both the Inspector-General of Police and State Commissioners of Police to confirmation by elected legislative bodies. This arrangement potentially enhances democratic oversight and legitimacy.
However, the creation of State Police alone will not automatically resolve the challenges of insecurity, police misconduct, impunity, corruption, political interference, and weak accountability that currently affect law enforcement in Nigeria. Without robust safeguards, State Police could become vulnerable to abuse by state-level political actors in much the same way that the Federal Police has often been influenced by federal political interests.
To mitigate these risks, RULAAC emphasises the importance of:
1. Strong constitutional and statutory guarantees of operational independence and professionalism.
2. Independent police complaints and accountability mechanisms at both federal and state levels.
3. Transparent recruitment, promotion, and disciplinary systems.
4. Effective civilian oversight involving State Houses of Assembly, Police Service Commissions, the National Human Rights Commission, civil society organisations, and community representatives.
5. Clear safeguards against the use of State Police for partisan political purposes, electoral manipulation, suppression of dissent, or persecution of minorities and vulnerable groups.
6. Adequate funding, training, equipment, and welfare arrangements to ensure professionalism and reduce corruption.
7. Strict adherence to constitutional human rights standards, including protections against torture, arbitrary arrest, unlawful detention, extrajudicial killings, and other abuses.
RULAAC maintains that the success of State Police will depend not merely on constitutional provisions but on the strength of accountability institutions, respect for the rule of law, transparency in operations, and meaningful citizen participation in policing governance.
The ultimate objective should be to create police institutions – whether federal or state – that serve the people, protect rights, uphold the law, and earn public trust through professionalism, effectiveness, and accountability.
Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma is the Executive Director of RULAAC
