A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and constitutional lawyer, Itse Sagay, has renewed his call for the establishment of state police, describing it as the most viable solution to Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.
Speaking during an interview on Arise TV on Friday, Sagay argued that decentralising policing would significantly improve the country’s capacity to combat banditry, terrorism, and other violent crimes.
“State police is the answer to Nigeria’s security crisis. If this can be amended to allow states to establish their own police forces, then the fight against all these bandits and murderers and so on will be firmer, will be more successful, and the safety of Nigerians will be better guaranteed,” he said.
Sagay maintained that a centrally controlled policing structure had proven inadequate in addressing the complex and localised nature of security threats across Nigeria’s diverse regions.
He recalled that agitation for state police was not new, noting that some legal and political stakeholders had campaigned for the reform for several years.
“Some of us have been campaigning and conversing for this for years. And it’s been the Northern brothers who were against it for reasons which I don’t know. So I’m glad that we now have a president who is keen on having it,” Sagay stated.
The senior lawyer suggested that constitutional amendment would be required to actualise the proposal, adding that such reform would empower state governments to take greater responsibility for the safety of residents within their jurisdictions.
He expressed optimism that with strong political will at the federal level, the longstanding debate over state policing could finally be resolved, paving the way for a more responsive and community-based security architecture in Nigeria.
