Details Of IGP’s Committee Report On State Police Emerge

A committee established by the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, to develop a framework for the creation of state police has recommended that 60 per cent of the current Nigerian Police personnel be redeployed to state police services if the proposal is adopted.

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The recommendation is part of a report submitted to the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, chaired by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, on Thursday.

However, the proposal has generated mixed reactions among security experts, with some supporting aspects of the report while others raised concerns about its implementation.

Nigeria currently has about 370,000 police officers serving an estimated population of over 200 million people, translating to one police officer to about 600 citizens.

This falls short of the United Nations recommended ratio of one police officer to 450 citizens.

If the committee’s recommendation is adopted, about 222,000 police officers would be moved to state police formations across the country.

The seven-member steering committee proposed a two-tier policing system consisting of:

• Federal Police Service (FPS)
• 37 State Police Services (SPS) across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory

According to the framework, the Federal Police Service would replace the current Nigeria Police Force, subject to constitutional amendment.

Under the proposal:

The FPS will focus on national security, terrorism, interstate crimes, and federal law enforcement.

The State Police Services will handle local crimes such as armed robbery, homicide, domestic violence, and community policing.

The report recommended that the federal police retain 40 per cent of personnel for national assignments, while 60 per cent would be redeployed to state police services.

Voluntary transfer programme for officers

The framework also proposed a Voluntary Transfer Programme (VTP) that would allow federal police officers to transfer to their home states or preferred state police service.

According to police sources familiar with the report, officers who choose to transfer will receive:

• A three-month salary transfer facilitation grant
• Transition training programmes
• Guaranteed pension continuity certificates

According to Daily Trust, the committee also recommended the creation of a National Police Standards Board (NPSB), a 13-member independent federal board responsible for setting minimum standards for all police services.

The board will regulate areas such as: Recruitment, Training, Professional conduct, Accountability, Funding structures.

It will also monitor compliance and publish annual performance ratings for state police services.

The report emphasised community policing as a key pillar of the proposed state police system.

Each State Police Service would establish a Department of Community Policing, while Community Policing Forums would operate at every Local Government Area.

These forums will include: Police officers, Traditional rulers, Youth organisations, Women’s groups, Religious leaders.

Community Liaison Officers would also be assigned to communities and expected to speak local languages and maintain direct engagement with residents.

To address concerns that state governors could misuse state police, the framework proposed several safeguards.

These include: Constitutional prohibitions against partisan deployment, Independent State Police Service Commissions, Criminal sanctions for unlawful political interference, Fast-track judicial review by the Federal High Court.

The report also suggested additional oversight mechanisms, including: State police ombudsmen, Legislative oversight committees, Mandatory body-worn cameras, Public dashboards showing police performance data.

Funding structure outlined

The proposed framework recommended the creation of a State Police Fund (SPF) to finance state police operations.

The fund would receive:

3 per cent statutory allocation from the Federation Account, distributed based on population, land area, security needs and fiscal capacity.

A minimum of 15 per cent contribution from each state’s security budget.

The committee suggested a 60-month phased implementation plan.

The stages include:

• Months 1–12: Constitutional and legal amendments
• Months 13–24: Establishment of state police services and launch of transfer programme
• Months 25–42: Initial operations and withdrawal of federal police from local policing
• Months 43–60: Full consolidation, evaluation and legislative review.

Reacting to the proposal, security consultant and former Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mike Ejiofor, criticised the plan to transfer 60 per cent of federal police officers to state commands.

According to him, state police should instead recruit and train their own personnel.

“They should operate independently instead of sharing 60%. Besides, some officers posted to the state police will not like it,” Ejiofor said.

He added that while officers could be posted to their states of origin, the state police should operate independently of the federal police.

Ejiofor also opposed the proposal restricting state police from tackling terrorism and banditry, arguing that given the level of insecurity in the country, they should be empowered to confront all forms of crime.

“They can check banditry and every crime. But when it comes to prosecution, if they arrest bandits or terrorists, the suspects should be handed over to the federal police for prosecution,” he said.

The security expert also criticised the proposal for a National Police Standards Board, arguing that it could undermine the autonomy of state police.

“We are operating federalism, so why does the board have to set standards for them?” he queried.