By SUNTV Global Channel News Desk
Published: July 12, 2026 | Opinion | Nigeria
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has cautioned that establishing state police without comprehensive democratic reforms and effective accountability mechanisms could place dangerous powers in the hands of state governors and deepen political repression across Nigeria.
The warning was issued by RULAAC Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, amid renewed national discussions on the creation of state police and concerns raised by legal scholar and former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Professor Chidi Odinkalu.
According to Nwanguma, introducing state police without transparent public consultations, institutional preparation, proper training and independent oversight risks transforming political groups into officially armed security outfits.
He noted that previous police recruitment exercises had exposed weaknesses in the system, with politically connected individuals allegedly influencing the process. Nwanguma warned that similar problems could re-emerge on a larger scale if adequate safeguards are not established.
The rights advocate also expressed concern over the financial capacity of many states to sustain professional policing institutions. He argued that states already struggling to pay salaries and pensions may find it difficult to adequately fund, equip and supervise their own police forces.
“Poorly paid officers carrying state-issued weapons could become vulnerable to corruption, political manipulation and abuse,” he warned.
Despite these concerns, Nwanguma maintained that Nigeria’s centralized policing structure has failed to effectively address rising insecurity, including kidnapping, banditry, communal clashes and organised crime.
He emphasized that rejecting the current system does not necessarily mean opposing state police but rather ensuring that any decentralised policing framework is backed by constitutional safeguards and democratic accountability.
RULAAC proposed several reforms, including independent state police service commissions, transparent recruitment processes, uniform professional standards, civilian complaint mechanisms, legislative oversight and judicial accountability.
Nwanguma stressed that institutional reforms must come before implementation, warning that poorly designed security institutions often become sources of insecurity rather than solutions.
He further argued that Nigeria’s security crisis is linked to broader governance challenges, including weak institutions, poor intelligence coordination, economic exclusion and deficiencies in the criminal justice system.
According to him, the national conversation should focus not merely on whether Nigeria needs state police, but on what kind of state police can effectively protect citizens while safeguarding democracy and human rights.
As debates over security reforms intensify ahead of future elections, RULAAC insists that any move toward decentralised policing must prioritise professionalism, accountability and constitutional protections.
Keywords: State Police, RULAAC, Okechukwu Nwanguma, Chidi Odinkalu, Nigeria Police Force, Security Reforms, Democracy, Human Rights.
Reporter: SUNTV Global Channel Political Correspondent.
