Despite massive spending on policing, Nigeria remains insecure because accountability and oversight have been pushed to the margins of the country’s security governance, the Police Service Commission (PSC) has submitted.
 
Its Secretary, Onyemuche Nnamani, stated that lasting security cannot be achieved through firepower alone, adding that weak oversight erodes discipline, professionalism and public trust in law enforcement.
 
Nnamani spoke in Abuja at the public presentation of the book, Police Service Commission and Police Accountability in Nigeria, authored by a retired Director in the Commission, Anuli Elfreda Okoli.
 
The book presentation formed part of activities marking Okoli’s retirement after 30 years of service, her 60th birthday, and her contribution to discourse on police accountability in Nigeria.
 
He noted that a nation is secured not by the number of weapons it deploys, but by how effectively it controls the use of force.
 
Nnamani described the PSC as a constitutional body established under Section 153(1) of the 1999 Constitution to oversee police discipline, appointments and accountability, warning that its mandate had been weakened by poor funding and institutional neglect.
 
While faulting the contradiction in Nigeria’s security priorities, he pointed out that while governments approve huge allocations for policing, running into trillions of Naira, institutions responsible for oversight and reform are left under-resourced.
 
According to him, the consequences of a weak Police Service Commission are evident in Nigerians’ daily encounters with law enforcement, adding that police accountability cannot be fragmented or treated as a shared but undefined responsibility.
 
Nnamani explained that the PSC is not a decorative institution but a central pillar of democratic policing, saying constitutional provisions without operational strength amount to little more than moral poetry. 
 
PSC Chairman, DIG Hashimu Salihu Argungu (rtd), represented by DIG Taiwo Lakanu (rtd), commended Okoli for her professionalism and intellectual contributions, describing the book as a valuable resource for policymakers and security sector practitioners.
 
In her remarks, the author noted that the book was inspired by her hands-on involvement in police oversight, disciplinary processes, and reform initiatives over the years.
 
The work was reviewed by civil society leader, Dr Otive Igbuzor, and presented by former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Amal Pepple, with Ben Okoye serving as Chief Launcher. 
 
Senator Victor Umeh, who chaired the occasion, praised the author for documenting institutional experiences critical to security sector reform.