State Police ‘has come to stay,’ says IGP Disu

The newly sworn-in Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has declared that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is prepared to support the proposed establishment of state police across the country, describing the initiative as an opportunity for partnership rather than a threat to the federal police structure.

Disu made the remarks on Wednesday in Abuja shortly after he was sworn in as the 23rd Inspector-General of Police, emphasizing that the police leadership intends to play an active role in shaping the framework for the new policing system.

According to him, the force has already set up a committee to examine the concept of state policing from the perspective of the Nigeria Police Force.

“The committee was set up early this morning to look into the issue of state police from the angle of the Nigerian police,” Disu said.

“We don’t want it to seem as if others are taking decisions and we, the most important people concerned, did not do anything. We want to ensure that the best thing is done,” he added.

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The police chief stressed that the introduction of state police should not be viewed as a takeover of responsibilities from the federal police, but rather as a collaborative effort to improve security nationwide.

“State police have come to stay, and the police should be able to contribute their part in making it succeed. The police are not afraid, our jobs are not being taken. It is an issue of partnership,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Disu formally inaugurated a committee tasked with examining and guiding the implementation process for state policing in Nigeria.

The committee will be chaired by Olu Ogunsakin, a professor of police studies and former Director-General of the National Institute of Police Studies in Kano.

Members of the committee are expected to develop recommendations and propose an operational framework for the establishment and coordination of state police structures within the country’s broader security architecture.

The move comes amid ongoing efforts by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to address Nigeria’s security challenges through structural reforms in policing.

Tinubu has repeatedly stated that his administration intends to introduce state police as part of wider measures aimed at strengthening internal security and improving response to crime at the local level.

Recently, the president requested both chambers of the National Assembly of Nigeria to begin the process of amending the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria in order to create the legal framework required for the establishment of state police.

Lawmakers have since commenced constitutional amendment procedures to accommodate the proposed decentralised policing system, a reform many security experts believe could bring law enforcement closer to communities and enhance intelligence gathering across the country.