The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has renewed its call for the immediate establishment of state police, warning that further delay could deepen Nigeria’s security crisis and heighten the risk of ethnic conflicts.
In a statement titled “The Imperative of State Police Now,” Afenifere Secretary-General, Chief Sola Ebiseni, argued that the country’s centralised policing system has left state governments incapable of effectively protecting lives and property within their jurisdictions.
According to him, Nigeria’s federal structure was significantly altered during military rule through the creation of a police system controlled solely by the Federal Government and answerable to the President through the Inspector-General of Police.
Ebiseni said the arrangement has weakened the capacity of states to tackle security threats and enforce laws enacted by their legislatures, despite being constitutionally responsible for the welfare and safety of their citizens.
He warned that Nigeria has become increasingly vulnerable to international terrorism and stressed that the growing wave of insecurity across the country requires urgent structural reforms, including the creation of state police.
While commending the Armed Forces and other security agencies for their sacrifices in combating terrorism and insurgency, he noted that they are overstretched by multiple security challenges across the country.
“The continued reliance on the deployment of federal security agencies after attacks has proved inadequate, particularly in protecting farmers and residents in vast ungoverned areas,” he said.
Ebiseni cited recent endorsements of state police by the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, noting that discussions on the proposal are already underway in the National Assembly.
“If there is any issue on which there is consensus in Nigeria today, it is that the time for state police is now,” he stated.
The Afenifere chieftain dismissed suggestions that implementation should be delayed, arguing that existing regional security outfits could serve as the foundation for state policing structures. He specifically identified the South-West Security Network, Amotekun Corps, as a viable framework that only requires enhanced training, equipment and operational capacity.
He cautioned that prolonged delay in establishing state police could create a dangerous security vacuum that may encourage self-help measures and ethnic-based responses to insecurity.
“The vacuum created by the delay in establishing state police may eventually be filled by ethnic conflicts driven by the instinct for self-preservation if urgent action is not taken,” he warned.
Ebiseni also urged the Federal Government to strengthen regional and international cooperation against terrorism, noting that such collaboration does not amount to a surrender of national sovereignty.
He called on political leaders to approach insecurity as a national challenge rather than a partisan issue, recalling the unity displayed by Nigerians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He further cautioned security agencies against involvement in civil governance, stressing the need to preserve democratic institutions and constitutional order.
According to him, granting states constitutional policing powers remains one of the most practical and sustainable solutions to Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.