Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has urged officers of the Nigeria Police Force to embrace the proposed creation of state police, saying the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu has resolved to establish the new policing structure. He said the Force has a responsibility to educate officers about the reform and help address concerns surrounding it.
Speaking at the opening of a one day workshop on state policing, Disu described the proposal as one of the most important security reforms currently being considered in Nigeria, noting that its impact could extend beyond the country’s borders.
“This is a very important topic raging in the country today and in other parts of the world because everything that happens in Nigeria concerns the world,” Disu said.
He noted that discussions on state police have progressed through several stages, including committee work, constitutional amendment considerations and the development of an implementation framework.
According to him, police leadership must ensure officers clearly understand the purpose and objectives of state policing.
“We are leading hundreds of officers who must be told about state police, who must be educated about state police to allay their fears because there are fears everywhere, and it’s our duty to educate them and let them know what state police is all about,” he said.
Disu stressed that the initiative should be seen as a national project rather than one belonging solely to the Nigeria Police Force.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria have made up their mind to have the state police, and it’s our duty to assist them to achieve it,” he said.
He added, “This is not the issue of us only. This is the issue of the Federal Government of Nigeria and the people of Nigeria.”
The police chief encouraged participants at the workshop to engage actively, ask questions and seek clarification so they would be better equipped to educate officers in their various commands.
“So the most important thing is to listen very well, ask questions, how this thing is going to work, so that we’ll be able to go back and talk to our officers and educate them,” he said.
Disu also praised Professor Olu Ogunsakin, Director General of the National Institute of Police Studies and Head of the Nigeria Police Reform Secretariat, for his role in developing the state policing framework, describing him as a key figure in the reform process.
Reflecting on the early stages of the initiative, the IGP said there were suggestions that the police should remain passive since decisions on state policing had already been made, but the Force instead chose to establish its own committee to contribute to the national process.
“I’ll go back to when we were about to start. Arguments arose that decisions have been taken and we should just sit down and be complacent and not do anything about it. I’m happy we quickly agreed to set up a committee,” he stated.
He revealed that while the Nigeria Governors’ Forum had already completed substantial work through its own committee, the police committee quickly caught up.
“The governors have already set up their committee. They have already almost concluded, in fact, they have concluded. We started late, we caught up with them, and I’m happy to say our work is what they are deliberating on today,” Disu said.
According to the IGP, the police committee developed the framework within 17 days, providing the foundation for the current national discussions.
“I think it took us 17 days only to come up with the framework that has become the genesis of what everybody is working on today,” he said.
He, however, acknowledged that the framework was still undergoing refinement.
“We still need to put some finishing touches to it,” he said.
Disu further disclosed that retired Inspectors General of Police had met with him to offer recommendations to strengthen the framework.
“Retired Inspectors-General of Police have visited me, and they have shown their concern, and we have deliberated, and they have put in their contributions into this as well,” he said.
He urged participants to carefully review the framework and make additional contributions where necessary.
“You have the opportunity to help us to look at it so that every detail, every important detail that will be needed, should be input into it,” he added.
The IGP also said the committee conducted comparative studies of policing systems in other federal countries to guide Nigeria’s approach.
“A lot of comparative analysis have been done. We have taken time to study nations where they have state police: India, America, and even Pakistan, how things work there,” he said.
Disu concluded by urging participants to take the workshop seriously, saying their input would play a vital role in shaping the future of policing in Nigeria.
