Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has called for the creation of state police to enhance internal security in Nigeria. In a statement released on Monday by the Directorate of Media and Publicity, Office of the Senate Leader, Bamidele described the current police system as “ailing and dysfunctional.”
“We must admit that the system can no longer guarantee the dignity of human lives and the security of collective assets considering our security dynamics in the Fourth Republic,” Bamidele stated.
The proposal for state police has been a topic of intense debate for over a decade, driven in part by the increase in armed attacks from various groups pursuing divisive or predatory goals across different geo-political zones.
Bamidele highlighted that Nigeria’s rapid population growth necessitates a more decentralized approach to policing. “Nigeria, as one of the world’s fastest-growing nations in terms of population, cannot continue operating a unitarist security architecture despite its strong federal tendencies,” he said.
He pointed out that in 1979, Nigeria had a population of 70.75 million, which has since surged to approximately 229 million, making it the world’s sixth most populous country. Despite this growth, the police-citizen ratio remains inadequate. According to Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, Nigeria has a police-citizen ratio of one to 650, far below the United Nations’ recommended ratio of one to 460.
“This shortfall further reinforces the dysfunctionality of the centrally-controlled model we currently operate,” Bamidele asserted.
He emphasized that the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution presents an opportunity to redefine the governance structure and recalibrate the security architecture. “We must go about it with a clear sense of self-realisation. We must, first and foremost, realise that the present police system is ailing and dysfunctional,” he said.
Bamidele concluded that recognizing the system’s failings is crucial. “With this admission, it is evident that the option of adopting state police is no doubt inevitable as an antidote to diverse security challenges that threaten us as a federation,” he said.
