State Police Must Not Become Tool for Political Repression -Ojukwu Warns

The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Chief Anthony Ojukwu, has thrown his weight behind the establishment of state police, but warned that the reform could worsen Nigeria’s security and human rights problems if state-controlled forces are allowed to operate without stringent safeguards and independent oversight.

Ojukwu said decentralising the country’s policing system had become an urgent necessity because the existing centralised structure was overstretched, slow to respond to emergencies and increasingly incapable of matching the security demands of a vast and populous country.

He spoke on Tuesday at the 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he challenged lawyers and policymakers to ensure that any state policing framework places citizens’ rights at its core.

“If you don’t have State Police, you can never have adequate security,” Ojukwu said, stressing that Nigeria could not continue relying on a policing structure in which a relatively limited number of officers are expected to protect a population of more than 200 million people.

According to him, the consequence is a security system in which response to emergencies can take too long, leaving vulnerable communities exposed.

“The response time is so long that we only live by God’s grace,” he said.

Ojukwu’s intervention comes against the backdrop of a persistent security crisis that has placed extraordinary pressure on Nigeria’s law-enforcement agencies.

The country continues to confront multiple threats, including banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and communal violence. Recent attacks have also highlighted the risks faced by police officers themselves. In August, 10 police officers were killed in a gun battle with armed rebels in Kebbi State, underscoring the difficult operating environment confronting security forces in parts of the country.

Available assessments put the strength of the Nigeria Police Force at about 371,800 personnel serving a population estimated at more than 236 million. The resulting manpower deficit has contributed to concerns over the ability of the police to maintain an effective presence across the country.

The problem is further complicated by the deployment of a significant number of police personnel for VIP and political protection, reducing the manpower available for ordinary policing and community protection.

Against this background, supporters of state police argue that policing cannot be sufficiently effective when decisions, deployment and operational control are concentrated at the federal level in Abuja.

“With State Police, the governors will have the wherewithal to respond quickly. The police will be more effective because they know the terrain; they know the people,” he said.

While advocating state police, the NHRC chief drew a clear line between decentralising policing and handing governors unchecked security powers.

He warned that without strong institutional controls, state police could be transformed from an instrument of community protection into a weapon for political persecution.

His concerns include arbitrary arrests, intimidation, torture, unlawful detention and other violations of fundamental rights.

“We must insist that when the National Policing Bill comes, it must be well drafted. There must be a board that runs it. There must be oversight. Otherwise, it will become another problem,” he said.

That warning strikes at one of the most contentious issues surrounding state police: who controls the police, and who polices those who control them?

The proposed reform has gained substantial momentum in 2026. The National Assembly has advanced constitutional amendment proposals designed to provide for state police services alongside a federal police structure. The House of Representatives passed the State Police Bill in July after the Senate had earlier approved its version.

The emerging framework nevertheless retains federal intervention powers in certain circumstances, reflecting continuing concerns over national security, constitutional order and possible abuse of state-controlled security institution.

For Ojukwu, the success of the reform will not be determined simply by the number of police commands created across the 36 states, but determined by whether those forces can protect citizens without violating the same rights they are established to defend.

He therefore charged lawyers to become a critical line of defence against abuses by security agencies.

“Lawyers should be the people to insist on the right thing to do. If the police is going to arrest anybody, insist on the right procedure. Don’t let them abuse power. We have to watch them,” he said.

His position places the rule of law at the centre of the state police debate, rather than treating security and human rights as competing priorities.

The warning is particularly significant because Nigeria’s police reform debate has historically involved concerns over accountability, excessive use of force, arbitrary arrests and public distrust of law-enforcement institutions. An assessment by the European Union Agency for Asylum has similarly cited delayed responses, resource constraints and reports of police misconduct as challenges confronting the existing system.

The challenge, therefore, is not simply whether Nigeria needs more police.

It is whether the country can build a policing system that is closer to the people without becoming captive to political power.

State police could potentially provide faster intelligence gathering, quicker emergency response and stronger community engagement because officers would operate in areas they understand more intimately.

But decentralisation without accountability could create 36 new centres of police power, each vulnerable to manipulation by political authorities.

That is why Ojukwu’s demand for oversight is central to the debate.

He called for a properly structured policing law with clear command arrangements, independent oversight and safeguards capable of protecting citizens from abuses by state security institutions.

The NHRC boss maintained that effective security and respect for human rights are not mutually exclusive.

Rather, he argued, a police force that violates citizens’ rights ultimately undermines the very public confidence it needs to fight crime effectively.

He lamented that insecurity and delayed responses had left many Nigerians feeling that their safety was dependent on chance rather than an effective security system.

“Our people live by God’s grace because the system is not working. That must change,” he said.

His comments come at a defining moment in Nigeria’s security architecture. With constitutional efforts to establish state police gaining momentum, the country is approaching a potentially historic departure from its decades-old centralised policing model.

But the reform carries a dual responsibility: to bring the police closer to the people while keeping the power of the police firmly under the law.

“We cannot continue with a system where only a few police officers are expected to secure millions,” he said.

The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Chief Anthony Ojukwu, has thrown his weight behind the establishment of state police, but warned that the reform could worsen Nigeria’s security and human rights problems if state-controlled forces are allowed to operate without stringent safeguards and independent oversight.

Ojukwu said decentralising the country’s policing system had become an urgent necessity because the existing centralised structure was overstretched, slow to respond to emergencies and increasingly incapable of matching the security demands of a vast and populous country.

He spoke on Tuesday at the 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he challenged lawyers and policymakers to ensure that any state policing framework places citizens’ rights at its core.

“If you don’t have State Police, you can never have adequate security,” Ojukwu said, stressing that Nigeria could not continue relying on a policing structure in which a relatively limited number of officers are expected to protect a population of more than 200 million people.

According to him, the consequence is a security system in which response to emergencies can take too long, leaving vulnerable communities exposed.

“The response time is so long that we only live by God’s grace,” he said.

Ojukwu’s intervention comes against the backdrop of a persistent security crisis that has placed extraordinary pressure on Nigeria’s law-enforcement agencies.

The country continues to confront multiple threats, including banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and communal violence. Recent attacks have also highlighted the risks faced by police officers themselves. In August, 10 police officers were killed in a gun battle with armed rebels in Kebbi State, underscoring the difficult operating environment confronting security forces in parts of the country.

Available assessments put the strength of the Nigeria Police Force at about 371,800 personnel serving a population estimated at more than 236 million. The resulting manpower deficit has contributed to concerns over the ability of the police to maintain an effective presence across the country.

The problem is further complicated by the deployment of a significant number of police personnel for VIP and political protection, reducing the manpower available for ordinary policing and community protection.

Against this background, supporters of state police argue that policing cannot be sufficiently effective when decisions, deployment and operational control are concentrated at the federal level in Abuja.

“With State Police, the governors will have the wherewithal to respond quickly. The police will be more effective because they know the terrain; they know the people,” he said.

While advocating state police, the NHRC chief drew a clear line between decentralising policing and handing governors unchecked security powers.

He warned that without strong institutional controls, state police could be transformed from an instrument of community protection into a weapon for political persecution.

His concerns include arbitrary arrests, intimidation, torture, unlawful detention and other violations of fundamental rights.

“We must insist that when the National Policing Bill comes, it must be well drafted. There must be a board that runs it. There must be oversight. Otherwise, it will become another problem,” he said.

That warning strikes at one of the most contentious issues surrounding state police: who controls the police, and who polices those who control them?

The proposed reform has gained substantial momentum in 2026. The National Assembly has advanced constitutional amendment proposals designed to provide for state police services alongside a federal police structure. The House of Representatives passed the State Police Bill in July after the Senate had earlier approved its version.

The emerging framework nevertheless retains federal intervention powers in certain circumstances, reflecting continuing concerns over national security, constitutional order and possible abuse of state-controlled security institution.

For Ojukwu, the success of the reform will not be determined simply by the number of police commands created across the 36 states, but determined by whether those forces can protect citizens without violating the same rights they are established to defend.

He therefore charged lawyers to become a critical line of defence against abuses by security agencies.

“Lawyers should be the people to insist on the right thing to do. If the police is going to arrest anybody, insist on the right procedure. Don’t let them abuse power. We have to watch them,” he said.

His position places the rule of law at the centre of the state police debate, rather than treating security and human rights as competing priorities.

The warning is particularly significant because Nigeria’s police reform debate has historically involved concerns over accountability, excessive use of force, arbitrary arrests and public distrust of law-enforcement institutions. An assessment by the European Union Agency for Asylum has similarly cited delayed responses, resource constraints and reports of police misconduct as challenges confronting the existing system.

The challenge, therefore, is not simply whether Nigeria needs more police.

It is whether the country can build a policing system that is closer to the people without becoming captive to political power.

State police could potentially provide faster intelligence gathering, quicker emergency response and stronger community engagement because officers would operate in areas they understand more intimately.

But decentralisation without accountability could create 36 new centres of police power, each vulnerable to manipulation by political authorities.

That is why Ojukwu’s demand for oversight is central to the debate.

He called for a properly structured policing law with clear command arrangements, independent oversight and safeguards capable of protecting citizens from abuses by state security institutions.

The NHRC boss maintained that effective security and respect for human rights are not mutually exclusive.

Rather, he argued, a police force that violates citizens’ rights ultimately undermines the very public confidence it needs to fight crime effectively.

He lamented that insecurity and delayed responses had left many Nigerians feeling that their safety was dependent on chance rather than an effective security system.

“Our people live by God’s grace because the system is not working. That must change,” he said.

His comments come at a defining moment in Nigeria’s security architecture. With constitutional efforts to establish state police gaining momentum, the country is approaching a potentially historic departure from its decades-old centralised policing model.

But the reform carries a dual responsibility: to bring the police closer to the people while keeping the power of the police firmly under the law.

“We cannot continue with a system where only a few police officers are expected to secure millions,” he said.