A former Commissioner of Police and lecturer in the Department of Criminology and Security Studies, Lead City University, Ibadan, Dr. Sybil Olufunmilayo Akinfenwa, has warned that the proposed creation of state police may not achieve its objectives unless the structural problems confronting the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) are first addressed.

Akinfenwa gave the warning during Tea and Truth, a media programme organised by Ibadan 360 Production in Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State.
The security expert said while calls for state police have continued to gain momentum as a solution to Nigeria’s worsening security challenges, policymakers must ensure that the weaknesses affecting the NPF are not replicated at the state level.

“We must look at what makes the Nigeria Police Force fail. We should ensure that what affected the NPF does not affect state police so that the same issues do not come up again,” she said.
According to her, many of those advocating state police may not fully understand the operational realities and challenges confronting law enforcement agencies.

“Those clamouring for state police are not insiders. If the people want state police, let us try it, but first let us examine the problems faced by the police,” she added.
Akinfenwa described the Nigeria Police Force as one of the most stressed institutions in the country, noting that officers are overstretched due to increasing security responsibilities.

“The police is the most stressed organisation. A lot of policemen are stressed out,” she said.
She urged Nigerians to become more involved in community security efforts, stressing that the fight against insecurity should not be left to security agencies alone.

“We must rise up to deal with the situation. We should not sit and be complacent. It is not the time to rest. It is time to get up. While attention is often focused on terrorism, we must also address local crimes that affect our communities daily,” she said.
The former police commissioner also identified the absence of a harmonised national database as a major challenge hindering effective crime prevention and intelligence gathering.

According to her, security agencies currently operate fragmented information systems, making collaboration and criminal tracking difficult.
“There is no harmonised database. Information is not harmonised; it is different across agencies. We need to harmonise the information. Let us bring it together and collaborate to track down criminals. We should start from the community level,” she said.

Also speaking during the programme, a national leader of the Oodua Peoples’ Congress (OPC), Mr. Sina Akinpelu, called on political leaders to refrain from interfering in the operations of security institutions.
“Politicians must leave institutions alone and allow them to work. Let them stay away from security institutions and allow them to perform their duties effectively,” he said.

Akinpelu also appealed to the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland and National Coordinator of the OPC, Otunba Gani Adams, to convene a meeting of all OPC groups across the South-West to strengthen collaboration in tackling insecurity.
“I want to appeal to Otunba Gani Adams to meet all OPC groups in Yorubaland so they can come together in the interest of the security of the region,” he said.