Nigeria’s state police plan has sparked a major national debate, with supporters calling it a long-awaited answer to insecurity and critics warning that it could give governors dangerous political power.
The proposal would allow Nigeria’s 36 states to create their own police forces alongside the existing federal police. It is one of the most important security reforms being considered since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999.
The plan has gained momentum after federal lawmakers advanced the constitutional amendment. But state police has not become law yet. Because it involves a change to the constitution, it still needs approval from at least two-thirds of Nigeria’s state Houses of Assembly.
That means at least 24 of the 36 state assemblies must support it before the reform can take effect.
For many Nigerians, the debate is simple: the country needs better security. Kidnappings, banditry, insurgency, farmer-herder violence, separatist attacks and armed robbery have stretched the central police system beyond its limits.
But others are asking a serious question: if state police is created without strong safeguards, who will protect citizens from abuse by powerful governors?
Nigeria currently operates a largely centralised police system controlled from Abuja. State governors are often described as chief security officers of their states, but they do not have direct operational control over police commands.
Supporters of state police say this makes no sense.
They argue that officers recruited locally will understand the language, roads, terrain and criminal networks in their communities better than officers posted from far away.
They also say state police could improve emergency response and help states deal with local threats before they become national crises.
But critics fear the same reform could create new dangers.
Some Nigerians worry that governors could use state police to harass opponents, influence elections, silence critics or intimidate minority groups. Others question whether poorer states can afford to recruit, train, pay and equip their own police officers.
This is why the reaction has been mixed.
Peter Obi, the NDC presidential candidate and former Anambra State governor, has supported the idea of decentralised policing in principle. But he has warned that the current process raises concerns.
Obi said Nigeria’s centralised police structure is unsuitable for a country as large and diverse as Nigeria. However, he argued that implementation should be delayed until after the 2027 general election because of the risk of political misuse.
He warned that there was no guarantee the current administration would not use state policing to influence the 2027 election by proxy.
Obi also called for strong independent oversight, including state Police Service Commissions that are protected from executive control. His argument is that state police must serve the public, not the political elite.
The camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has also expressed concern about timing.
Atiku has long supported state police as part of restructuring. In the past, he said he was fully behind efforts by the National Assembly to create state police.
But his media adviser, Paul Ibe, has questioned the present rush. He said Atiku’s camp supports state policing, but not in a way that could be used for political advantage before the next general election.
That position reflects a wider fear among opposition voices: they do not reject state police completely, but they want the system created in a way that cannot be captured by ruling parties or state governors.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has raised another important concern. He warned that state police will not solve insecurity unless Nigeria also tackles poverty and unemployment.
Falana’s argument is that insecurity is not only about the number of police officers. It is also about why many young people are being pulled into crime in the first place.
He said Nigeria must talk about jobs, social welfare and help for vulnerable citizens, not just new police structures.