The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Lagos State, Lawal Pedro (SAN), has endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s push for the establishment of state police, arguing that Nigeria’s centralised policing structure can no longer effectively address the country’s growing security challenges.

Pedro supported the president’s call for a constitutional framework that would allow states willing and capable of funding their own police forces to establish them.

He made this known to newsmen on Thursday, noting that many of the security threats confronting the country are largely localised crimes occurring within communities, particularly in rural areas, and therefore require policing systems closer to the people.

The Commissioner for Justice listed banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, human trafficking, ritual killings, cultism, herdsmen-farmer clashes, communal conflicts and armed robbery as examples of crimes that demand a decentralised response.

Pedro said the persistence of these crimes reflects the overstretching of the Nigeria Police Force, which operates under a single federal structure across the country’s vast territory.

“These local crimes have festered because of the inadequacy of the Nigerian Police Force to check them. This clearly shows that a single federal police system cannot adequately respond to security needs across the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory and the various local government areas,” he stated.

The Attorney-General noted that the current wave of insecurity has exposed structural weaknesses inherent in a centralised policing model within a diverse federal system like Nigeria.

He recalled that decentralised policing is not new to the country, pointing out that Nigeria operated regional and local police formations during the First Republic.

“It will be recalled that during the First Republic, Nigeria operated regional and local police formations. Therefore, state policing is not alien to our country’s legal history.”

He reiterated his support for the President’s proposal for a constitutional framework enabling states that are willing and financially capable to establish their own police forces.

Pedro acknowledged concerns raised by critics that state governors might misuse state police for political or personal interests but insisted such fears should not be grounds for rejecting the proposal.

According to him, the solution lies in strong constitutional safeguards to prevent abuse while ensuring effective policing at the state level. He added that the President’s engagement with the National Assembly of Nigeria reflects that approach.

Pedro therefore proposed a unified policing architecture integrating both federal and state police systems in line with Nigeria’s federal structure and social realities.

He also recommended that policing be moved from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List through constitutional amendment, thereby empowering states to establish police forces under national guidelines.

His words, “such guidelines should address recruitment, promotion, discipline, structure, operational control and welfare of police personnel nationwide.”

The Attorney-General further called for a clear demarcation of functions and jurisdiction between federal and state police to ensure coordination and avoid conflict.

Among other institutional reforms, he recommended strengthening the Nigeria Police Council and establishing State Police Service Commissions to set standards for recruitment, appointment, promotion and discipline of officers.

Pedro said states should recruit officers based on their capacity, while governors should appoint state commissioners of police upon recommendation of the State Police Service Commission and approval of the State House of Assembly.

He maintained that with appropriate legal and institutional safeguards, state policing would significantly strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture and bring law enforcement closer to the communities it serves.