The book comes at a critical period in Nigeria’s history when killings, kidnappings, banditry, and other violent crimes have continued to escalate nationwide.
Sadly, what initially appeared concentrated in the North-East and parts of the North-Central region has now spread extensively into the South-West states of Ondo, Ekiti, and Oyo in dimensions never previously witnessed, with growing fears that the menace could further extend into Ogun and Lagos states if decisive and far-reaching security measures are not urgently implemented to halt the activities of rampaging criminal elements.
The urgency of the national security situation has further been underscored by the abduction of school children in Ogbomosho area of Oyo and Uba Askira in Borno State prompting recent remarks credited to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, who disclosed that the Presidency and the National Assembly are set to fast-track constitutional templates for the establishment of state police structures in Nigeria has further intensified national discourse on the imperative of restructuring Nigeria’s policing architecture.
The book comprising 19 thought-provoking articles written and published by the author in the mass media from as far back as 2002 to date, the book chronicles the evolution of insecurity in Nigeria and presents compelling arguments for the establishment of state/ local policing systems as a strategic response to the nation’s worsening security challenges.
Widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most accomplished media columnists and respected thought leaders, Magnus Onyibe, through this publication, assembled in one authoritative volume the critical insights, historical perspectives, and policy recommendations required to guide lawmakers and policymakers in amending the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to accommodate state and local policing structures.
The foreword to the book is written by the distinguished professor of strategy and public policy, Professor Anthony Kila, while the afterword is authored by former Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Alapini (rtd), a seasoned policing expert with extensive hands-on experience in law enforcement and internal security administration in Nigeria.
The publication aligns with recent calls by President Tinubu urging the National Assembly to amend the 1999 Constitution to accommodate state police in order to effectively confront the alarming scourge of insecurity threatening national stability, economic growth, and social cohesion. The current centralised policing structure traces its roots to the Unification Decree No. 2 of 1966, introduced following the military coup that terminated Nigeria’s First Republic and effectively abolished the regional policing arrangement that previously existed.
The date, venue, and time for the public presentation of the book are currently being finalised via consultations with relevant stakeholders, including the leadership of the National Assembly, the Office of the Inspector-General of Police, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Police Service Commission, and other critical security agencies.
The event which is expected to hold in Abuja will attract lawmakers, policymakers, security experts, civil society leaders, media practitioners, traditional rulers, members of the diplomatic community, and key stakeholders in Nigeria’s security and governance ecosystem.
The author maintained that readers, legislators at both national and sub national levels, and security stakeholders alike will find the book invaluable in understanding the historical foundations of Nigeria’s current security crisis and the urgent necessity for institutional reforms capable of reversing the dangerous trajectory of insecurity in the country.