April 23, 2026
Nigeria stands again at a familiar crossroads. A new Inspector General of Police has assumed office at a time when insecurity dominates national discourse. The debate over state police has returned with renewed urgency. The central question is simple but loaded. Would decentralizing policing improve security outcomes, or would it deepen political fragmentation and abuse?
What Is State Police?
State police refers to a decentralized policing system in which individual states within a federation maintain their own police forces, separate from and parallel to federal law enforcement. In such systems, policing authority is distributed, allowing subnational governments to recruit, deploy, and manage officers within their territorial jurisdictions. The Nigeria Police Force, by contrast, is constitutionally centralized under federal control, with the Inspector General serving as the operational head nationwide.
Nigeria’s Current Security Reality: A Q1 2026 Snapshot
The urgency of reform is driven by hard numbers and recent mass abductions.
Amnesty International has warned of a deepening crisis, reporting that at least 1,100 people were kidnapped across northern Nigeria between January and April 2026 . Victims are frequently subjected to torture, starvation, and rape while in captivity . Specific incidents in the first quarter of 2026 paint a grim picture:
- Kwara State (Feb 3): Armed attackers invaded Woro village, killing approximately 200 people and abducting 176 others .
- Borno State (March): Suspected Boko Haram fighters abducted over 100 displaced persons on March 19, following an attack on March 3 where over 400 people were taken in Gwoza .
- Kaduna State (March 22 & Jan 18): Gunmen abducted 30 worshippers from churches in Kachia LGA, following a January attack where 166 people were taken during a morning service in Kajuru LGA .
- Zamfara State (April): In early April, 150 people—mostly women and children—were abducted in Bukkuyum LGA .
Military Response: In response, the Armed Forces of Nigeria reported rescuing 813 civilians and arresting 1,359 suspects nationwide during counter-terrorism operations in Q1 2026 . Specific operations in the North West and North Central led to the arrest of 114 suspects and the rescue of 386 kidnapped victims .
Legislative Progress: The Push for 2026
Unlike the theoretical debate of previous years, the push for state police has entered the legislative fast lane.
In a significant development, the Senate has officially committed to concluding the constitutional amendment process required for the establishment of state police before the end of 2026 . This follows a formal request from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the National Assembly to restructure the nation’s security architecture .
Senate Spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu confirmed that the upper chamber aims to complete the amendment and secure presidential assent before the commencement of political campaigns for the next general election .
The Role of the New Inspector General: The 60-Month Debate
The new Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, has taken a technocratic approach, but one that has sparked controversy. While he has moved to strengthen internal discipline by restructuring the Police Monitoring Unit , his timeline for decentralization has drawn sharp criticism.
IG Disu proposed a 60-month (5-year) phased implementation roadmap for state police, suggesting that 60% of existing personnel would move to state police while 40% would remain federal .
Civil Society Pushback: The proposal has been rejected by coalition of Yoruba civil society and sociocultural groups under the aegis of the Yoruba Assembly. They described the 60-month plan as “an illusion” that “undermines the urgency” of the current perilous security situation . The groups have urged President Tinubu to invoke an executive order to empower mobile police units to transfer to their states of origin immediately, rather than waiting for half a decade .
Institutional Safeguards and Funding
Recognizing the political risks, the government is moving to build institutional guardrails.
1. Police Trust Fund Reform: President Tinubu has transmitted a bill to the House seeking the repeal and re-enactment of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF) Act. The goal is to strengthen transparency, accountability, and funding for police equipment and welfare, ensuring that financial constraints do not cripple the proposed state police structures .
2. Training Expansion: To prepare for a larger force, the President has approved the establishment of a new campus of the Nigeria Police Academy in Erinja, Ogun State, alongside a N15 billion special take-off grant .
Comparative Experience and Local Fears
Advocates point to federal systems like the United States and India, arguing that decentralized policing enhances local intelligence and response times. However, in Nigeria, ethnic diversity and weak institutional safeguards raise concerns about political capture.
Miyetti Allah has warned that recruitment must be ethnically and religiously balanced to prevent group domination . Meanwhile, Afenifere insists that the bill must include provisions allowing citizens to challenge any misuse of police power in court .
Conclusion: Desirable but Context Sensitive
State police is not inherently dangerous, nor is it a guaranteed solution. As of April 2026, Nigeria is actively moving toward a decentralized system, with a legislative deadline set for the end of the year . However, the tension between the executive/legislative urgency and the police leadership’s cautious 60-month timeline remains unresolved .
The debate is no longer about if Nigeria will adopt state police, but how and when. Done carefully—with robust oversight, financial accountability, and the proposed constitutional checks—decentralization could strengthen security. Done recklessly, it could deepen ethnic division and gubernatorial abuse. The choice lies in the institutional design being drafted by the National Assembly right now.
Noah Ajare Esq