Nigeria’s police authorities are taking a new step towards strengthening the country’s security architecture as the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Tunji Disu, on Wednesday inaugurated a committee on state police.
During his inaugural Conference with Senior Police Officers at the Peacekeeping Conference Centre, Force Headquarters, Abuja, Disu charged the seven-member committee to be professional, emphasizing the importance of state police to the security of the country.
The IGP told the committee that the task before them is “both significant and timely,” and one that will shape the “framework through which state policing may operate in Nigeria.”
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“In carrying out this assignment, your deliberations must be guided by professionalism, objectivity, and a clear appreciation of the unique complexities of policing a diverse nation such as our own,” the Lagos-born IGP said.
The committee is expected to, among other functions, review existing policing models within and outside Nigeria; assess community security needs and emerging risks across the country; propose an operational framework for the establishment and coordination of State Police structures; and address issues relating to recruitment, training, standards, and resource allocation.
It will also develop robust accountability and oversight mechanisms to ensure professionalism and public trust.
“If thoughtfully designed and effectively implemented, State Policing holds significant potential benefits for our country,” Disu, a former commander of the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad (RRS), said at the event.
“By bringing law enforcement closer to communities, state police institutions can deepen local knowledge of security dynamics and enable quicker and more targeted responses to emerging threats.”
The committee is headed by Olu Ogunsakin (chairman), while Bode Ojajuni is the secretary.
Others are Emmanuel Ojukwu, Okebechi Agora, Suleyman Gulma, Ikechukwu Okafor, and Tolulope Ipinmisho.
He said, the committee has “about four weeks for them to submit their reports so that they can do a thorough job.”
The inauguration of the committee is one of the first assignments of the new IGP, who was appointed and confirmed as Nigeria’s police chief a few days ago.
Wednesday’s ceremony comes amid heightened security challenges across the country, with stakeholders suggesting state policing as one of the ways to address the issue.
President Bola Tinubu has already tasked the National Assembly to begin moves to amend Nigeria’s laws for the creation of state police.
See the full list of members of the committee on state police below:
