Nigeria’s federal police force has failed, but what does history say about local forces?

The Nigerian Senate passed a bill on 24 June 2026 establishing state police in the 36 states of the country. The passage of the executive bill, sent to the National Assembly by President Bola Tinubu, officially opens the way to dismantle the decades-old structure of the Nigeria Police Force and replace it with a dual model, comprising the Federal Police Service and State Police Services. Saheed Balogun Amusa, a police historian, explains that Nigeria had regional police before a central police force. He sets out what went wrong with those formations and the lessons they offer. What was Nigeria’s regional policing system? Nigeria used to have a federal Nigeria Police Force, established in 1930, a Native Authority Police Force in the northern region and a Local Government Police Force in the western region. Only the eastern region did not have a regional police force, most likely because pre-colonial Igboland and other communities in the area did not have a policing system. In northern Nigeria, the pre-colonial Dogarai police system was reformed in 1907 to become the Native Authority Police Force. In western Nigeria, various police systems in Yorubaland were reformed into the Local Government Police Force during the colonial era. These regional forces were controlled and funded by the regional governments. They were abolished in 1968 and their personnel recruited to the Nigeria Police Force. While regional police then were closer to the citizens, hence effective, they were also susceptible to control and influence by the ruling political elites. Read more: Armed banditry is becoming a crisis in Nigeria: why fixing the police is key Your research showed that the federal police were not insulated from political influence during the 1962 Action Group crisis. Are federal police good for Nigeria? Whether federal or state police, they are agents of governments that control and fund them. However, operating a single police system in Nigeria gave the federal government the power to undermine the powers of state governors who should be the chief security officers of their states. It also reduced the effectiveness of the police in local environments. In my view as a police historian, federal police are instruments of political attainment and consolidation. They are used, in some instances, to gain and keep political power. They are also instruments of political harassment and intimidation of the state and local governments. The 1962 Action Group crisis was a result of ideological conflicts among the leaders of Action Group, the ruling party in the western region from the 1950s to 1965. The 1962 riot within the chamber and premises of the western region House of Assembly in Ibadan led to the declaration of a state of emergency in the region from May 1962 to January 1963. The supporters of Obafemi Awolowo, then federal opposition leader, accused the federal police of protecting the interests of the Akintola-led government. They also alleged that the prime minister, Tafawa Balewa, denied them police protection. Other instances include the role of the Nigeria Police Force in the 1953 Kano riots, the 1959 federal elections and the recurring Tiv riots of the 1960s. The 1965 western regional elections and the 1983 general elections were others. The federal government in these instances used the police to suppress the citizens. To give some more recent examples: A former governor of Anambra State, Chris Ngige, was abducted by policemen led by an assistant inspector-general, Raphael Ngige, in July 2003. The then inspector-general, Tafa Balogun, later ordered his release. Similarly in 2013, during a feud between Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi and then president Goodluck Jonathan, Amaechi and his entourage were teargassed and physically blocked from entering the Government House in Port Harcourt by federal police. In 2023, heavily armed police officers fired teargas and water cannons at Governor Siminalayi Fubara outside the Rivers State House of Assembly complex. Read more: Nigeria’s new police chief faces structural challenges - 5 key issues to tackle How could state police in Nigeria succeed, in your view? Political influence cannot be ruled out in any government institution. Globally, there have been accusations of political manipulations of police and other security agencies at all levels. However, this does not mean that police everywhere are agents or instruments of political intimidation. A country like Nigeria that is trying to experiment with state policing after several years of a single police system needs to put certain measures in place to ensure the dual policing structure is successful. These include constitutional frameworks, recruitment, training, equipping and remuneration. The state police must be properly engineered towards people-orientated policing. The Police Council which advises the president on the appointment of the inspector general of police and Police Service Commission which is responsible for the appointment, promotion, discipline, and dismissal of all police officers must be legally and practically autonomous. There must also be financial and operational independence of the state police and strict adherence to professionalism by the force. Every reform comes with initial challenges. The governments must be ready to abide by the principle of true federalism. Citizens too must be alive to their civic responsibilities, duties and obligations. Otherwise state police will not be successful and it won’t be long before people will begin to clamour for its abolition. Read more: Nigerian police: why improving public trust has proven difficult Based on your research, do you think the current conditions in Nigeria are suitable for introducing state police? The current security situation in Nigeria calls for establishment of state police. It is long overdue. Nigeria is the only federal state in the world that has a single police system. The United States has county police, state and federal police. The French have Police Municipale, and the Chinese Chengguan. These are equivalent to city police forces. State police will solve many security challenges in Nigeria but create new ones too, like potential political abuse and jurisdictional issues with the federal police. The country is federal in name but unitary in practice. The socio-economic and political challenges like terrorism and banditry confronting the country will also be a major problem. It is hoped that state police in Nigeria will be sustainable in the long run if there is strong political will from the government and greater commitment from the citizenry. Saheed Balogun Amusa does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Nigeria’s federal police force has failed, but what does history say about local forces?

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