The Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN), alongside security experts, media practitioners and other stakeholders, has initiated efforts to design an operational framework for the establishment of State Police as part of measures to address rising cases of kidnapping, banditry and other violent crimes in the South West.
  
At a stakeholders’ meeting titled “Foundational Imperatives for State Police in South West Nigeria,” held in Ibadan, participants stressed that the creation of state police had become a national necessity, particularly in view of worsening security challenges across the country.
  
In his opening remarks, Director-General of the DAWN Commission, Dr. Seye Oyeleye, said the gathering was convened in response to growing federal momentum toward state policing. He noted that President Bola Tinubu had prioritised the initiative since assuming office in 2023, with renewed advocacy intensifying in recent months.
  
According to him, the South West resolved to begin preparatory work rather than wait for the formal establishment of state police.

Oyeleye explained that with a bill already before the National Assembly, the region considered it important to develop a guiding template that would shape how state police would operate across the six South West states. While acknowledging the likelihood of a national framework, he emphasised the need to accommodate regional peculiarities, warning against a uniform “one size fits all” approach inconsistent with Nigeria’s federal structure.
  
He defended the Nigeria Police Force, attributing its operational limitations largely to inadequate manpower compared to the country’s population of over 200 million people, noting that about 450,000 officers were insufficient for effective policing. The framework being developed, he said, would be forwarded to South West governors to guide policy decisions, expressing optimism that state policing could become operational by the first quarter of 2027.
  
Addressing fears that governors might abuse state police structures, Oyeleye described such concerns as outdated, citing the regional security outfit, Amotekun, which has operated since 2020 without evidence of misuse.
  
He added that both Amotekun and state police could function simultaneously within the region’s security architecture, with flexibility for governors to redefine roles, including deploying Amotekun as forest rangers if necessary.
  
Professor Isaac Olawale Albert of the University of Ibadan’s Institute for Peace and Strategic Studies argued that debate should now focus on implementation rather than the desirability of state police. He warned that stakeholders must critically examine the weaknesses of the federal policing system to avoid replicating existing failures, urging a research-driven and analytical approach.
  
Albert also called for lessons from community-based and informal security initiatives to be integrated into the proposed structure in order to build public trust.
  
Similarly, Executive Director of Journalists for Democratic Rights, Adewale Adeoye, emphasised that state policing must be people-centred and rooted in local realities. He said security should involve citizens at every stage, from conception to implementation, and stressed the need for a South West policing model reflecting the region’s unique crime patterns while upholding transparency, integrity and global standards.
  
Adeoye further highlighted the importance of humane policing, urging officers to demonstrate compassion while protecting lives and critical assets.
  
The meeting attracted security professionals, retired senior police officers, academics, legal practitioners and private sector representatives, including virtual participants.
  
Deliberations are expected to produce a comprehensive regional template that will guide the implementation of state police across the South West once enabling legislation is enacted.