By Muhammad Mamman
Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on the National Assembly to initiate a review of the country’s laws to allow states that desire their own police forces to formally establish them — a move that could significantly reshape the nation’s security architecture.
Speaking on Monday, Tinubu urged federal lawmakers to act swiftly, saying the time had come to decentralise policing in order to strengthen security at the sub-national level.
“I call on the National Assembly to begin reviewing our laws to allow states that require state police to establish them,” the president said, emphasising the urgency of addressing Nigeria’s persistent security challenges, including armed banditry, kidnapping and communal violence.
The proposal comes amid growing pressure from governors, civil society groups and security analysts who argue that the centralised police force is overstretched and unable to adequately respond to localised threats across the country’s 36 states.
Advocates of state policing say it would empower governors with greater operational control and create faster, more community-rooted security responses. Critics, however, warn that without strong safeguards, state-controlled forces could be weaponised by political leaders and used to silence opposition.
Tinubu’s call signals one of the strongest endorsements yet from the presidency for restructuring Nigeria’s policing system — a politically sensitive issue that has been debated for decades.
It is now up to the National Assembly to determine whether the proposed legal reforms will move forward, potentially setting the stage for one of the most significant security sector shifts in Nigeria’s recent history.
