STATE POLICE: A PREREQUISITE FOR EFFECTIVE SECURITY IN NIGERIA

Abstract

This paper examines state police as a prerequisite for achieving effective security in Nigeria. It is no longer news that Nigeria is currently facing her worst level of insecurity since the end of her civil war in 1970. The spate of violent crimes in Nigeria today is such that requires urgent solution from the stake holders. Unfortunately, the Nigerian government and its institutionalized agencies have failed to put an end to this menace. Lives and property are being lost on daily basis in an unprecedented magnitude, as a result of the activities of deadly non state actors such as the Boko Haram, Killer Herdsmen, Unknown Gun Men, Armed Bandits, among others. The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) has failed to effectively address these security challenges, due to so many factors. It is against this background that this paper strongly advocates for the establishment of state police in all the 36 states of the federation and Abuja. The enormity of security challenges confronting the Nigerian state and the inability of the current Nigerian Police Force to effectively address them calls for immediate decentralization of the Nigerian Police Force. The paper argues that the vast territory of Nigeria, coupled with her enormous demography, shows that the Nigerian Police Force as it stands today cannot effectively carry out their constitutional roles which involves protection of lives and property, especially as the police institution is seriously understaffed. The paper argues that state police is in line with the principle of true federalism upon which Nigeria fashioned her Constitution. It therefore condemns the current structure of the Nigerian police as enshrined in the constitution, because it negates the concept of state police which is a common practice in many developed societies. This study adopts qualitative research method. It relies on both primary and secondary sources.