The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, has revealed that the Nigeria Police Force conducted extensive studies of policing models in India, the United States and Pakistan before developing the framework for the proposed establishment of state police in Nigeria.
Disu disclosed this on Thursday at a one-day workshop on state police organised by the Nigeria Police Institute at the Nigeria Police Resource Centre in Abuja, saying the comparative review formed the foundation of the framework currently guiding national discussions on decentralising policing.
According to the IGP, the workshop was designed to equip police personnel with the knowledge required to make informed contributions to one of Nigeria’s most important security policy debates.
“As discussions on the creation of State Police continue to gain momentum across the country, members of the Nigeria Police Force must remain well-informed and contribute constructively to the ongoing discourse,” he said.
Disu explained that the committee set up by the police to develop the framework examined the experiences of countries operating decentralised policing systems to identify best practices applicable to Nigeria.
“A lot of comparative analysis has been done. We have taken time to study nations where they have state police — India, America and even Pakistan — and how things work there,” he said.
The IGP disclosed that although the Nigeria Governors’ Forum had already completed work on its own proposals, the police committee was able to produce its framework within 17 days, despite commencing its assignment later.
“We started late. We caught up with them, and I’m happy to say our work is what they are deliberating on today.
“I think it took us 17 days only to come up with a framework that has become the genesis of what everybody is working on today. And we still need to put some finishing touches to it,” he added.
Disu also revealed that retired Inspectors-General of Police participated in reviewing the framework, offering recommendations that have strengthened the document.
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According to him, the wealth of experience contributed by former police chiefs has added significant value to the evolving blueprint for state policing.
The IGP urged officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force to remain actively engaged in the ongoing national conversation by offering objective analysis and informed perspectives on the proposed reform.
He stressed that police personnel must fully understand the issues surrounding state policing to contribute meaningfully to efforts aimed at improving Nigeria’s internal security architecture.
The debate over the creation of state police has intensified in recent months amid growing concerns over insecurity, with stakeholders weighing its potential benefits, constitutional implications and safeguards against political abuse.
