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Nigeria State Police Reform: IGP Disu Inaugurates Implementation Committee
Nigeria’s newly confirmed Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has inaugurated an eight-member committee to lay the groundwork for the implementation of state policing across the country.
Disu, confirmed as Nigeria’s 23rd Inspector-General of Police on March 2, formally launched the committee on Wednesday at the Force Headquarters in Abuja. The committee is chaired by Professor Olu Ogunsakin and is tasked with providing strategic guidance on the operational, legal, and administrative framework required to establish state police structures.
Speaking during the inauguration, the police chief emphasized the need for accountability, professionalism, and strict adherence to human rights standards as Nigeria considers decentralizing its policing system. He noted that strengthening collaboration among federal, state, and local governments would enhance security coordination and responsiveness.
According to Disu, the move reflects growing public demand for comprehensive security reforms amid persistent threats such as insurgency, banditry, and kidnapping in various parts of the country.
“The evolving security landscape requires a more localized and community-driven policing approach,” he said, stressing that any transition must be carefully structured to prevent abuse and ensure national cohesion.
The push for state police, however, will require constitutional amendments. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and members of the Senate have expressed support for accelerating the legislative process needed to make the reform legally binding.
Security analysts and civil society groups have largely welcomed the development, describing it as a significant step toward addressing Nigeria’s complex security challenges. However, some legal experts have raised concerns about the committee’s legal standing pending formal constitutional amendments.
The committee is expected to submit recommendations outlining the structure, funding mechanisms, oversight systems, and safeguards necessary for a functional state police system.
If implemented, the reform could mark one of the most significant transformations of Nigeria’s policing architecture since independence.
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