Director General of the Institute for Police and Security Policy Research (IPSPR), Charles Omole, has said that although many Nigerians fear a repeat of the abuses associated with the old regional and native police, proper implementation of state policing would address such concerns.

Omole asserted in his new book titled “Implementing State Police in Nigeria: Options, Approaches and Critical Guardrails Necessary for the Establishment of Viable State Police in Nigeria.”

According to him, policing in the country has reached a critical turning point as citizens increasingly demand security systems that are closer to communities, faster in response, and more accountable.

The author, who is also a lawyer, jurist and public policy reform expert, noted that the current debate around state police is shaped by the country’s historical experience with decentralised policing structures.

He recalled that at independence in 1960, Nigeria operated a multi-layered policing arrangement consisting of the federal police, regional police forces and local Native Authority or Local Government police units.

However, he said the arrangement became controversial by the mid-1960s when local police forces were widely accused of abuse and political manipulation.

He added that in the Western Region, the Local Government Police, popularly called Akoda, were allegedly used during the political crisis between 1962 and 1966 to intimidate voters and harass critics of the regional government.

According to him, recruitment into such forces was often based on political loyalty rather than merit, while training was minimal and accountability mechanisms were weak.

Omole noted that the 1966 military coup and the political turmoil that followed created the conditions for restructuring the policing system.

An expert panel was subsequently established to determine whether the country should maintain decentralised policing or adopt a unified national structure.

By 1968, all local police forces had been absorbed into the Nigeria Police Force, while later constitutions, including those of 1979 and 1999, entrenched federal control over policing.

Despite that history, Omole argued that Nigeria’s evolving security challenges now require a rethink of the centralised model.

In the book, he outlines two possible pathways for reform: one involving constitutional amendments to establish independent state police services, and another that can be implemented within the existing legal framework through a State-Focused Policing (SFP) model.

He described the publication as a practical reform guide that addresses critical issues such as sharing powers between federal and state commands, financing and governance of new forces, recruitment standards and training procedures that prevent politicisation.

The book also emphasises the need to establish strong safeguards to protect minorities, political opponents and the rule of law.

Drawing from Nigeria’s historical experience and examples from other federations, Omole argued that policing reforms must be accompanied by improvements in other parts of the justice system, including courts, corrections and intelligence coordination.

Omole previously served as National Security Adviser to the Speaker of the House of Representatives during the Ninth National Assembly.