How state police initiative may fare in South-South, South-East

Initially, most Nigerians were vehemently against State policing policy, fearing hijack of the system by governors, whom they claimed would use it against perceived opponents.

Now, due to overwhelming threats of insecurity and terrorism, many citizens have welcomed the State Police Bill initiated as an Executive Bill which has passed through the two arms of the National Assembly, now heading to the 36 States for endorsement or rejection.

Most persons interviewed in the South-South and South-East have endorsed the policy, though with a tone of warning. The overall impression gathered by BusinessDay in the two zones is that it is better to have State Police Commands helping to handle community policing with all its junk than to sit and wait for terror to consume communities.

Most States already have community or local Police structures that help to protect communities. In Rivers State, they already have the Rivers Neighbourhood Watch which was like a State Police with presence in all the LGAs and a Commandant-General who is a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police. There is also the OSPAC which is purely for communities and are paid by Local Councils.

Some States such as Delta and Akwa Ibom have gone ahead to hold security summits and set up full structures and Security Fund structure meant to raise money.

The idea has also received widespread support from elites and citizens.

Mike Chukwuma, a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, who headed the comatose Neighbourhood Watch, told BusinessDay that “he is happy that the idea he has been preaching for all of Nigeria has materialised”.

He published a book on Community Police system which showed how it could grow into State Police structure.

Fyneface Dumnamene Fynface, Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, which is recruiting one million security volunteers in the Gulf of Guinea for pipeline information network, admitted that most people opposed the idea of State Police system, but that raging terror had helped people to accept State Police. He too gave advice on how to avoid hijack. He called for establishment of Human Rights Commissions in each State, especially in Rivers State.

South-East States have double security structures already, namely Ebubeagu and Eastern Security Network (ESN); one believed to be controlled by non-State actors and the other by State Governments. This in itself has aggravated the security situation.

Thus, many States are ready for State Police and ready to sign the bill. Situations however differ in different States in the south-south and South-East.

Rivers State

State Police bill raises concerns over infiltration by miscreants, militias in Rivers – Kelechi Nwaucha reports

Stakeholders in Rivers State have raised concerns about the possible infiltration of the State Police architecture by miscreants as the Rivers State House of Assembly (RSHA) prepares to begin deliberations on the controversial bill for the creation of state police in Nigeria.

The bill, transmitted by the National Assembly to the 36 State Houses of Assembly for concurrence, comes amid widespread fears that politicians may hijack the proposed state police architecture.

Analysts in the State, however, insist the primary worry should be the potential infiltration and takeover of the security structure by militias and miscreants.

Rivers State suffered years of intense militia activity, especially in the periods leading up to the 2003 and 2007 general elections.

Many fear that some disbanded militia members may have recruited “miscreants, street urchins and common criminals” into their ranks.

Amaechi Kelechi Justin, Executive Director of Community Conciliation and Development Initiative, said creating police architecture at the second tier of government will strengthen Nigeria’s federal system and help tackle rising insecurity.

He, however, pointed out that the proposed State security structure should not be treated as a perfect solution but as a necessary pathway to addressing security challenges.

Crime scene in Nigeria has outgrown State Police — Imbufe

Akpekwu Imbufe, a social analyst in Port Harcourt, warned that while State Police might be vital at this point in the nation’s history, the reform could fail unless key legal, operational and jurisdictional issues that would enable the security structure to function effectively are resolved.

Imbufe further argued that the current security environment in Nigeria, “where criminals and terrorists brandish AK-47s,” might have outgrown the concept of ordinary state police, questioning whether State policemen would be adequately equipped to handle today’s security realities.

Imo State

Imo, like many States in the South-East have the double security structures. Anthony Amadi, the immediate past president of Owerri Chamber of Industry, Mines and Agriculture (OCCIMA), wants the Imo State Police to be manned purely by Imo indigenes. “If a police officer is from my community, and he commits a crime, he will easily be located and he will account for his offenses rather than what is happening at the moment where faceless people masked themselves as police and commit crime.

“The State Police should be populated in local government by people from that local government. Their control should be very, very clear so that the law establishing them should be clear in what is the limits of their power, so that they will not abuse the power.

“The Sate Governor should not see them as his local apparatus for intimidating the people. Of course if that happens, the purpose is defeated.

Okey Ikoro, Chairman, Camela Veritable Oil, and National President, Vegetable and Edible Oil Producers Association of Nigeria(VEOPAN), agreed that State Police is needed in Imo State.

“My considered view is that Imo State has the potential to become one of Nigeria’s leading example of successful State Police, policing, provided it adopts the right institutional frame work”

Abia State

The thinking in Abia State is that introduction of State Police will amount to duplication of failures.

Abia State currently has Homeland Security Network, established by the immediate past administration in the State, led by Okezie Ikpeazu, and this is being sustained by the current administration of Governor Alex Otti.

Obinna Nwagbara, Executive Director, Youth and Students Advocates for Development (YSAD), in an interview observed that Nigeria Police Force is already plagued by gross human rights violations and inefficiencies due to inadequate federal funding.

He stressed that introduction of State Police would amount to the duplication of the failures in the police across the 36 States of the country.

Most persons still fear that State governors would hijack the system. They however are comfortable with alternative security outfits founded and funded by same state governors.

Akwa Ibom State

The mood of the State, especially the State Government is that Akwa Ibom is committed to safety of lives and property of citizens.

Against the background of the planned State policing system, Akwa Ibom State Government has assured of its commitment to ensure the safety of lives and property of all the people at all times.

Aniekan Umanah, Commissioner for Information told Businessday in an interview that the focus of the State Government has always been the safety of lives and property, adding that with the planned establishment of the state police in the country, Akwa Ibom would work with the security agencies to protect lives and property of the people.

“The focus of the governor is to work hard to ensure that the state is kept safe. The Government of Akwa Ibom State will always do everything to keep the state safe whether with the introduction of the state police or during the present situation. As it is now, the focus of the governor is to ensure that the State is safe.

“The important thing is that the federal government working with the states and National Assembly are looking at how to keep the country safe and the various states safe”, adding that the state government would continue to work with security agencies to keep the State safe for all.

The State has also some structures on ground. It is called Ibom Community watch and there is a full-fledged Ministry of Internal Security with a retired major general as the commissioner. Recently Governor Umo Enob directed the engagement of 2,272 youth presidents to be part of the security arrangement of the state.
Akwa Ibom also launched a security fund few months ago.

Delta State

The Delta State Government appears most prepared for the coming of state police.
The State Government last week, held a security summit in Asaba with the theme, “Security: A Collective Responsibility”, where Sheriff Oborevwori, the state governor, expressed optimism that the summit would produce practical recommendations capable of strengthening community participation, improving intelligence gathering and deepening collaboration among stakeholders.

He said the State Government recently restructured and strengthened Operation Delta Sweep, the state’s joint security outfit, which has recorded significant successes in combating crime across Delta.

The governor further disclosed that, in preparation for the eventual establishment of state police, the State Executive Council approved the construction of divisional police headquarters in all the 25 Local Government areas of the State.

He also highlighted the establishment of the Delta State Security Trust Fund as a sustainable platform for collaboration between government and the private sector in supporting security operations.

“I assure Deltans that government is in the process of procuring additional operational vehicles and security equipment, while efforts are ongoing to train and retrain personnel to improve our security capabilities”, he noted.

Calling for greater public cooperation with security agencies, the governor emphasised the importance of intelligence gathering and timely information sharing.

Grassroots preparation begins:

The Local Governments are also getting prepared as can be seen in the security summit organized by the Oshimili North Local Council under the leadership of Innocent Esenwezie, to train the already profiled personnel drawn from the various communities that made up the LGA.

Olisah Ifeajika, the Executive Assistant to Governor Oborevwori on Public Enlightenment (Projects and Policies) at the event, hailed the National Assembly for the passage of the bill on the establishment of State Police.

Citizens of Delta State are said to also support State Police so long as it would have clean systems.

Jude Onyebadi, a Catholic Priest and Chief Executive Officer of Ifeanyichukwu Farms, Issele-Uku, Delta State, in his reaction, told BusinessDay that the proposed creation of State Police is very good, noting however, that the management must be treated with caution.

“My own principle is that if the head is not sound, the body cannot be sound. What we need is sound leadership, not just for State Police; any project, any enterprise, any organisation, if the head can compromise, then everything can compromise”, he said.

Contributing, Benjamin Atagana-Ofochi, a Lawyer and Youth Leader in the State, said that considering the present high insecurity level in the state and country, state police will ordinarily be a welcome development.

He however warned against what he called weaponising the State Police. “We have seen it even with the federal police. A situation whereby the ministers will use the federal police even against a sitting governor. So, there should be modality to check the excesses of the governors because every policy or law is good, however, the people who execute the law. So, I’m appealing that there should be mechanism to check the excesses of the state governors”, said Ofochi.

Enugu State

Stakeholders believe that State Police will strengthen security. They have expressed support for the proposed establishment of state police, describing it as a timely response to the country’s worsening security situation.

Olu Omotayo, President of the Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN), said the current security architecture had been overstretched and is no longer capable of effectively addressing the growing wave of insecurity across the country.

Addressing concerns that State Governors could abuse the proposed security outfit for political purposes, Omotayo said the draft legislation provides adequate safeguards.

Also speaking, Uche Chukwu Mbah, the Director-General of the Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA), described the proposed State Police as a welcome development that should have been introduced years ago.

He acknowledged fears that State Police could be used by political leaders to intimidate opponents but insisted that such concerns should not overshadow the potential benefits of community-based policing.

According to him, every State should be secured by personnel who understand the local terrain, culture and peculiar security challenges.

Anambra State

The elite in Anambra State have okayed establishment of state police.

Osita Umeononihu, an Obstetrician and Gynaencologist, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi campus, Anambra State, urged comprehensive modern equipped and sophisticated State Police if the bill is eventually passed into law.

Umeononihu said on Tuesday in Awka that a formidable and well-trained State Police Force is what the country needed to contain the onslaught of insurgents ravaging the country.

He, however, expressed worries over the possible hijack of the Police at both the national and state levels by governors and other influential persons to witch-hunt political opponents.

Meanwhile, the Anambra State House of Assembly has passed the Homeland Security Law 2025 to establish the “Agunechemba” community-driven security outfit

Signed into law by Governor Chukwuma Soludo, the framework provides for the following key measures: A formalized security network that operates across three levels—community, local government, and state central command.

The governor has also appointed former Commissioner for Works, Kenneth Emeakayi as the Special Adviser on Community Security.

The law empowers local Presidents-General (PGs) and traditional rulers to act as chief security officers for their areas, manage security committees, and submit regular security reports.

It also mandated hotels and lodging facilities across the state to require and verify valid means of identification from all guests to aid intelligence gathering.

This legislation replaces the 2015 Anambra State Vigilante Law. Paired with the tactical operation “Operation Udo Ga-Achi”, the law aims to decentralize policing and bolster community intelligence across the State’s 21 Local Government Areas.

Paul Echezona, a Social Analyst, while commending the passage of law by the State Assembly, urged the state government not use them to only the benefits of his political purposes.

The South-South and South-East Regions seem ready for the new security regime because the citizens seem to be in support of their governments to create a system controlled by the States.