Calls for State Police Amid Nigeria's Security Crisis

Kalu Okoronkwo contends that Nigeria requires deep structural reform within its existing police system, particularly highlighted during an interfaith breakfast at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has signaled openness to exploring the creation of state police as part of a broader security reform strategy to tackle Nigeria's extreme challenges, including terrorism, banditry, and insurgency.

The new Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has inaugurated a committee to examine the possible framework for state police, given constitutional amendments that require their establishment. The Nigerian Governors Forum has intensified calls for decentralization to enable quicker responses to security threats.

However, Okoronkwo raises critical questions about whether creating state police will effectively solve security crises or merely decentralize existing dysfunctions. He argues that Nigeria's security issues stem from weak accountability and governance culture, suggesting that without addressing these deeper failures, new police structures may replicate existing problems.