By Mardiyyah Abubakar
Civil society organisations have warned the Federal Government that state police alone will not solve Nigeria’s growing insecurity.
They said the government must also address poverty, unemployment, corruption, weak institutions and political exclusion.
The groups spoke during a webinar titled, “Insecurity and State Policing in Nigeria: The Way Forward,” organised by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA).
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Africana League and CAPPA said policing reforms would achieve little without wider governance and social reforms.
RULAAC Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, said Nigeria should not treat insecurity as only a policing problem.
He said governance failures continue to fuel crime and violence across the country.
“Police can respond to crime, but they cannot eliminate the structural conditions that produce it,” Nwanguma said.
“No restructuring of police institutions alone will solve Nigeria’s security crisis.”
Nwanguma said decentralising policing could help states respond faster to local security threats.
However, he warned that state police could become tools for political abuse without strong accountability measures.
He called for national standards for recruitment, training and discipline.
He also demanded operational independence from political influence, independent civilian oversight, transparent complaint systems and sustainable funding.
Nwanguma urged the government to create legal safeguards that would prevent state governments from using police officers to intimidate voters or suppress political opponents.
“Without these safeguards, decentralisation may simply transfer abuse from Abuja to the state capitals,” he said.
He also asked the National Assembly to hold broad consultations before approving constitutional changes on state policing.
According to him, lawmakers should engage civil society groups, professional bodies, traditional rulers, women, young people, labour unions and security experts.
Africana League Executive Director, Dr Glory Ukwenga, said any state policing system that excludes young people would remain incomplete.
She noted that young people make up more than 70 per cent of Nigeria’s population and face some of the biggest effects of insecurity.
Ukwenga called for youth representation on state police service commissions, police-community relations committees and security advisory councils.
She also urged governments to consult youth organisations throughout the reform process.
She recommended youth-focused police recruitment, civic education programmes and digital platforms that would allow young people to report security threats and contribute to policy development.
CAPPA Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said the debate should focus on more than decentralising the police.
He said Nigeria must decide what type of policing system it wants to build.
Oluwafemi called for community-based, rights-focused policing that remains accountable to citizens.
He warned against creating police structures that serve as tools for political control.
He said poor access to education, healthcare, clean water, electricity, roads and jobs continues to drive insecurity.
According to him, the government must address these challenges alongside security reforms.
Oluwafemi also warned against rushing constitutional amendments because of the current security crisis.
He said Nigeria should first fix the institutional weaknesses affecting existing security agencies before creating new police structures.
The groups agreed that additional police forces would not automatically end Nigeria’s security challenges.
They urged the Federal Government and the National Assembly to ensure that any state policing system strengthens democracy, protects human rights and promotes accountability.
They also warned that the proposed system must not create new opportunities for political interference or abuse.
