Don welcomes introduction of state police
By Abubakar Imam
The Head of the Department of Criminology and Security Studies, University of Ilorin, Dr Monsurat Isiaka, has commended the ongoing efforts targeted at the reintroduction of State Police in Nigeria.
Dr Isiaka gave this commendation last Wednesday (July 8, 2026) in a chat with UNILORIN Bulletin in her office.
The don explained that the yearning for the reintroduction of state police in Nigeria was justified by the heightened insecurity, violent threats, and the severe loss of lives and properties bedeviling the country.
She added that several other compelling arguments also support the widespread desire for the reintroduction of state police.
These, according to her, include acute manpower shortages, local terrain familiarity, swift response time, and the current legal limitations disabling existing state-created paramilitary units like Amotekun and Ebubeagu.
Dr Isiaka noted that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has an estimated strength of roughly 371,800 officers serving a population exceeding 236 million people. This, she said, leaves the country with a dismal police-to-citizen ratio of about 1:636, far below the United Nations standard of 1:450.
She added that the shortage is compounded by a report by the European Union Agency for Asylum, which revealed that over 100,000 police officers, more than a quarter of the entire force, are explicitly assigned to protect politicians and VIPs. This leaves fewer than 270,000 active officers to protect the general public, stretching the real public policing ratio closer to an alarming 1:870.
She also explained that the state police, whose personnel would be recruited from among the indigenes of a state, would make it more efficient and effective. This is because such officers and men would possess an intimate knowledge of regional geography, which is critical in combating terrorism and banditry.
To further buttress her point, Dr Isiaka recalled, “For example, in Ondo State, the Southwest Security Network (Amotekun) has repeatedly outmaneuvered criminal syndicates in difficult terrains like the Ogbese, Jugbere, and Elegbeka forests”, adding that. “when kidnappers use these dense, uncharted forests as staging grounds, federal police units often hesitate to enter due to a lack of geographic mapping”.
Dr Isiaka also noted that federal weapon restrictions currently place state-created security outfits at a massive disadvantage against heavily armed adversaries.
She said, ‘‘Under the Nigeria Firearms Act, civilian and state security outfits are strictly prohibited from licensing or carrying automatic firearms like AK-47s, General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs), or pump-action shotguns without federal approval.
‘‘As a result, operatives of Amotekun and Ebubeagu are legally restricted to using locally fabricated dane guns, double-barrel hunting guns, or clubs. ‘
“In contrast, bandit groups in the Northwest, Southwest and unknown gunmen ‘‘in the Southeast routinely deploy AK-47s, RPGs (Rocket-Propelled Grenades), and anti-aircraft guns. This massive firepower disparity means state outfits are routinely outgunned, leading to high casualty rates among local operatives attempting to defend their communities.’’
While these arguments are strong and compelling, Dr Isiaka said that a comprehensive evaluation requires examining the severe risks associated with decentralised policing.
She said that historically, local and state police forces in Nigeria served as tools of oppression, intimidation, and political abuse by regional leaders.
She, however, said that these tendencies would be tamed by a strict constitutional safeguards as she said that the reintroduction of state police could easily provoke regional conflict, worsen national chaos, and ultimately trigger a breakdown of democracy or even seccession if not properly implemented.
