Newly sworn-in Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu has inaugurated a committee to develop a framework for implementing state police in Nigeria, saying decentralised policing “has come to stay.”
The newly appointed Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, on Thursday inaugurated a high-powered committee to develop a framework for the implementation of state police, declaring that decentralised policing “has come to stay.” Disu, who succeeded Kayode Egbetokun, was sworn in earlier in the day by Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the 23rd indigenous Inspector-General of Police at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The move comes amid renewed national debate and growing calls for state policing as part of broader security reforms.
Disu said the committee, chaired by Professor Olu Ogunsakin, had been given four weeks to submit its report. Other members include CP Emmanuel Ojukwu (retd), CP Bode Ojajuni, DCP Okebuchi Ogora, ACP Ikechukwu Okafor, and CSP Tolulope Ipinmisho, among others. “The committee will review policing models within and outside Nigeria, assess community security needs, identify potential risks, and propose an operational structure for the establishment and coordination of state police systems,” Disu said.
He added that the panel would also address issues relating to recruitment, training standards, funding, accountability and oversight mechanisms to ensure professionalism and sustain public trust. “If properly designed and implemented, state policing could bring law enforcement closer to the people, enhance local knowledge of security dynamics and enable quicker responses to emerging threats,” he said, noting that concerns about possible political misuse by governors would also be considered. “All those fears will be considered. Nigeria is not the only country operating state policing. Comparative studies will guide our recommendations.”
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