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Multi-layered levels of policing are ubiquitous in states organised as federations. At the minimum, state police gives Nigerians an opportunity to have law enforcement organisations that are embedded in communities and responsive to their needs.
The establishment, earlier this month, of an eight-member committee by the Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to implement state police, suggests that this is an idea whose time has come. Given ongoing work in the National Assembly to amend section 214 of the 1999 Constitution, which prohibits any other policing entity except the Nigeria Police Force, it signposts a commitment by the Federal Government. The idea of state police has a long and tortuous history in Nigeria. Expecting the Inspector General of Police to manage daily security operations in Maiduguri, Aba, Jos, Yenagoa and Lagos is national tomfoolery. How long this has lasted is the real surprise.
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It is instructive that Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was one of the advocates for state police as governor of Lagos, is the president heralding its establishment. If we are quick to criticise the government, intellectual honesty also demands that we commend a positive policy. President Tinubu’s intent on state police takes decades of consistency, commitment and pursuit of the right course of action, even when unpopular. It is now relatively easy to support state police. Initial opposition was strong and lasted decades but it was not based on objective facts. Many of Nigeria’s security challenges have multiplied exponentially. Other issues have emerged: terrorism, including suicide bombings, commercial banditry, and industrial-scale kidnapping, among others.
Political calculations in opposition to state police have spectacularly backfired. I hope this serves as a lesson to us as a country: do not oppose an idea because you think only your neighbours may benefit from it. The state police initiative should have been implemented over two decades ago, perhaps starting with one or two states per geopolitical zone until fully socialised across Nigeria.
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I was privileged to serve as special adviser to the Government of Alberta (Canada) on Police Act Review. Some of my recommendations were passed into law through the Police Amendment Act, which received royal assent in December 2022. I am happy to share a few of what I know about policing.
Multi-layered levels of policing are ubiquitous in states organised as federations. At the minimum, state police gives Nigerians an opportunity to have law enforcement organisations that are embedded in communities and responsive to their needs. For comparison, with approximately 41.5 million people, Canada has about 160 police services. These include the federally owned Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), which operates as the national police service and engages in law enforcement in eight provinces/territories, as well as about 600 indigenous communities. There are also three provincial police services, while many cities, such as Toronto, Edmonton and Calgary, have their municipal police services. There are occasional issues but this model is worth emulating.
The ongoing process must devote serious consideration to a Police Act that will stand the test of time. There are two probable pathways regarding legislation undergirding state police. The National Assembly may pass a single Act to guide all police services. Another approach is to have each state pass its own Police Act. Given Nigeria’s particularities, a single Act of the National Assembly with inputs from all stakeholders seems more pragmatic and appropriate.
At an estimated 18,000 organisations, the number of police services in the US is often confounding to external analysts. These include mammoth entities like the New York Police Department and small ones with less than 10 officers in rural areas. This means that Washington DC is not responsible for standard policing in rural Arkansas.
To be effective, state police may be established in a manner that has a level of uniformity without centralisation. Uniformity in training and education, that is through shared manuals, syllabi and curricular may be considered. These would encompass evidence collection, categorisation, data collection and definitions for purposes of measuring trends, patterns and national comparisons, etc.
The minimum entry qualification for policing in Canada is currently grade 12 or the equivalent of West African Examinations Certificate (WAEC) certificate. Raising this to the university degree was one of my recommendations that was not included in the amended Police Act in Alberta. However, our peer countries are requiring three-to-four years in police colleges or a university degree. Each state in Nigeria may vary regarding where they are on the issue of a minimum entry qualification.
The ongoing process must devote serious consideration to a Police Act that will stand the test of time. There are two probable pathways regarding legislation undergirding state police. The National Assembly may pass a single Act to guide all police services. Another approach is to have each state pass its own Police Act. Given Nigeria’s particularities, a single Act of the National Assembly with inputs from all stakeholders seems more pragmatic and appropriate.
…establishment of a new police service is an opportunity to utilise cutting-edge socio-scientific knowledge to build something new, avoid errors of existing models, with an eye to an institution that will serve current and future generations.
Some of those who oppose state police are concerned about political interference and the possibility of deployment of state police by governors to hound their opponents or perceived enemies. Such concerns are not unfounded. Each state police service will be as good as the enabling law, the actions of key political actors, and the vigilance of citizens. We cannot avoid creating state police because of the fear of misuse. Besides, the new Police Act may have provisions requiring the Nigeria Police Force to intervene in the affairs of a state police being misused for political purposes or the bungling of regular criminal cases. For example, the FBI routinely intervenes in cases of malfeasance at the state or municipal police level in the USA.
Another way of dealing with this issue is to ensure that the head of state police is appointed by and reports directly to the State Assembly, rather than the governor or justice commissioner. Such persons may be required to be nominated by the governor, cleared at the federal level, vis-à-vis their professional record, and secure 65 per cent or more of the votes of State Assembly members. They must have security of tenure and should only be removed by two-thirds of the State Assembly members, based on a delimited number of specified issues like corruption or bias, following exhaustive independent investigation. The funding of state police must be made directly by the legislature. Governors must be disempowered from unilaterally withdrawing funding from the police or supplying resources to secure specific political outcomes.
Many other considerations must be properly articulated in setting up state police across Nigeria. These include the prioritisation of gender diverse leadership, as well as rank-and-file, stating explicitly where state police power begins and ends, its relationship with the Nigeria Police Force, and organisational values. It is also worth emphasising that an impoverished police service is incompatible with the enforcement of law and order. Salaries and conditions of service must be reasonable, fair and liveable. There should also be attention to the cost of living in police personnel geographic locations. Independent civilian-led oversight of the police is a prerequisite (a topic for another day).
Finally, establishment of a new police service is an opportunity to utilise cutting-edge socio-scientific knowledge to build something new, avoid errors of existing models, with an eye to an institution that will serve current and future generations.
Temitope Oriola is professor of criminology at the University of Alberta, Canada. He is a former special adviser to the Government of Alberta on Police Act Review.
