A faction of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, yesterday, expressed support for the proposed state police to help curtail the ravaging security challenges facing the country.

The Igbo group, however, added that the state police will not function well without sweeping reforms in the entire policing system.In a statement signed by the Deputy President General of the faction, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, and the National Spokesman of Ohanaeze in Abakaliki, Chinenyeze Ohia, the group advised President Bola Tinubu that without proper reforms in the nation’s policing system, the proposed state police could be exploited by governors, particularly in the North, to manipulate the 2027 general elections.

They described Nigeria’s current security structure as a “dilapidated remnant of military-era federalism” that has collapsed under the weight of its own contradictions and mismanagement. 

Ohanaeze warned that the country is now battling a dual crisis: a failing national security apparatus and the breakdown of an overly centralised political structure that empowers a “select political class masquerading as democrats.”

According to the statement, the worsening wave of insecurity marked by kidnappings, banditry, terrorism, and what the body described as “genocidal violence” across both Christian and Muslim communities has not only heightened domestic fear but has also damaged Nigeria’s global reputation and deepened economic hardship.

Ohanaeze argued that the only sustainable path out of this crisis is a full reconstruction and renegotiation of the Nigerian federation to usher in true federalism and regional autonomy, including the creation of independent state policing systems. 

While noting that many states agree that the centralised police structure has failed, the group emphasised that genuine reforms are needed to protect Nigerians from both criminals and politically motivated abuses.

The organisation expressed particular concern over the recent endorsement of state police by Northern governors and traditional leaders. The group alleged that many of these leaders have, over time, enabled the same insecurity they now seek powers to combat, with terrorism and banditry remaining pervasive in their regions.