By Musa Bakare.
The ongoing discourse about policing in Nigeria is as enduring as the Republic itself. From the nation’s independence in 1960 to the present Fourth Republic, various administrations have contended with the central question: Is a centralized police system sufficient to ensure the safety of more than 200 million Nigerians, who are characterized by extensive ethnic, religious, and geographical diversity?
It is time for Nigeria to adopt a multi-tiered policing approach akin to that seen in various developed and developing countries worldwide. The establishment of state police, local government police, and municipal police is not only practical but pivotal in addressing our unique security challenges.
Nigeria’s current policing structure essentially a remnant of colonial rule, consists of a solitary, centralized Nigeria Police Force headquartered in Abuja, governed by the federal government. This arrangement is fraught with three significant flaws, an over centralization of decision making concerning deployment and operations, chronic understaffing and underfunding. With fewer than 400,000 officers for a populace exceeding 200 million, drastically below the UN recommendation of one officer per 400 citizens and a stark deficiency in local intelligence. Officers deployed from distant regions often lack the cultural awareness, linguistic capability, and community connections essential for effective policing.
The repercussions of this centralized model are glaring: escalating insecurity, rampant banditry, farmer-herder conflicts, kidnappings, terrorism, and urban crime spirals that federal police alone cannot manage.
Consider Liberia, which despite a smaller population than Nigeria successfully operates a multi tiered policing system. The National Police serves at the federal level, while county police and municipal police, such as the Liberian Municipal Police in Monrovia function regionally and locally. This multi layered approach allows for responsiveness at all governance levels.
Similarly, South Africa’s South African Police Service (SAPS) manages national security while municipal police in cities like Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban address traffic control, law enforcement, and community safety. This division of labor enables the national police to concentrate on organized and violent crime.
In West Africa, Ghana operates a national police service complemented by strong regional commands, and Senegal enriches its national gendarmerie with local policing structures in major cities. Both demonstrate how decentralization improves intelligence gathering and fosters community trust.
Globally, the multi tiered policing model is evident in the United States, where federal agencies (FBI, DEA) coexist with state forces, county sheriffs, and municipal police. In India, each state operates its own police force while the federal government manages interstate and national security. Brazil and Canada follow suit, maintaining state or provincial forces alongside municipal police services.
These examples illustrate that multi tiered policing systems are effective in heterogeneous, federal, and multi-ethnic nations such as Nigeria. State police, under the operational control of state governors who are termed chief security officers, are best positioned to address local security challenges. From banditry in the Northwest to militancy in the Niger Delta and urban crime in Lagos, the understanding of local dynamics is imperative.
Local government police can address rural insecurity, directly linked to kidnappings and herder farmer conflicts, requiring grassroot policing imbued with community knowledge. In metropolitan areas such as Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt, municipal police can focus on traffic management, neighborhood patrols, and minor offenses, thereby allowing federal forces to direct their efforts toward serious organized crime, terrorism, and interstate criminality.
Opponents of a decentralized police structure often voice concerns that state police could be misused by governors to intimidate political adversaries. While this apprehension is valid, it is not insurmountable. Necessary safeguards could include independent Police Service Commissions within each state, judicial oversight to prevent wrongful arrest, and federal coordination for standardized training, ethics, and accountability.
Democracy thrives on decentralization; rather than stifling reform due to fear of abuse, we should be motivated to develop resilient institutions. Nigeria’s escalating security crisis cannot be alleviated by a single, overstretched, centralized police force. A layered policing system involving federal, state, local, and municipal forces is essential for bringing policing closer to the populace, enhancing intelligence gathering, and rebuilding public confidence.
This approach is not merely theoretical; it is supported by proven practices in Liberia, South Africa, Ghana, Senegal, and other nations. If Nigeria is earnest about safeguarding its citizens and crafting a secure future, the establishment of state, local government, and municipal police is no longer optional—it is a matter of urgency.
Security begins at the community level and cannot continue to be effectively be managed from Abuja alone.
– Musa Asiru Bakare, a member of the APC and political analyst, writes from Lokoja, Kogi State.
