RULAAC urges strong constitutional safeguards as Nigeria moves toward state police establishment
By Ishaya Ibrahim
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has submitted a detailed memorandum to the newly inaugurated State Police Implementation Committee, cautioning that decentralising policing in Nigeria could exacerbate insecurity and political abuse without robust constitutional safeguards, independent oversight, and democratic controls.
In the document dated March 2026 and signed by RULAAC Executive Director Okechukwu Nwanguma, the civil society organisation welcomed the committee’s formation by Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu as a key step in addressing Nigeria’s persistent security challenges and public frustration with centralised policing.
However, RULAAC stressed that “decentralisation alone will not resolve Nigeria’s security crisis unless it is anchored in constitutional safeguards, professional standards, democratic oversight, and rule-of-law compliance.”
The committee, inaugurated on March 4, 2026, in Abuja shortly after Disu’s assumption of office, comprises eight members led by Professor Olu Ogunsakin. It has been tasked with developing a framework for state policing, reviewing global and local models, assessing risks, and submitting recommendations within one month.
RULAAC outlined core guiding principles for any state police framework, including constitutionalism and federal balance, operational professionalism, civilian democratic oversight, non-partisanship, human rights compliance, transparency, accountability, and financial sustainability.
Among the key pre-conditions and safeguards proposed:
1. Institutional autonomy at state level, ensuring legislatures, judiciaries, local governments, and electoral commissions have genuine financial and operational independence to prevent abuse of coercive power.
2. Minimum national standards enshrined in the Constitution or legislation, covering recruitment, training, use-of-force rules, appointments, discipline, and operational guidelines to avoid substandard practices in any state.
3. Clear jurisdictional boundaries between federal and state police, with codified mechanisms for joint operations, intelligence sharing, and conflict resolution.
4. Strict arms regulation, including federal licensing, limits on weapon types, and emphasis on non-lethal equipment to curb militarisation.
5. Independent oversight bodies, such as civilian-majority State Police Service Commissions with transparent appointments and financial independence; accessible Independent Civilian Complaint Boards empowered to investigate abuses, subpoena records, and recommend prosecutions; and a federal coordination body akin to the National Judicial Council.
6. Protection against executive control, with State Commissioners of Police appointed through independent nominations, legislative confirmation, and removal only for defined legal reasons to minimise politicisation.
RULAAC also called for urgent reforms within the existing Nigeria Police Force—regardless of state police adoption—including publication of annual policing plans, strengthening internal affairs units, digital case management, zero tolerance for torture and extortion, reduced VIP protection duties, and transparent personnel audits.
The group emphasised protections for civic space, such as banning police involvement in partisan politics, safeguards for journalists and civil society, mandatory body-worn cameras in certain operations, and public reporting on arrests and detentions.
RULAAC advocated a phased, evidence-based rollout, starting with pilot programmes to test mechanisms, identify conflicts, evaluate sustainability, and assess human rights impacts before nationwide expansion.
The memorandum highlighted that insecurity stems from deeper issues like poverty, unemployment, inequality, governance failures, corruption, and weak justice systems.
“This is a defining institutional moment,” Nwanguma concluded. “Without proper design, decentralisation could fragment coercive power and deepen political abuse. With safeguards, it can improve responsiveness, enhance local accountability, deepen federalism, and restore public trust.”
RULAAC offered to provide technical input, comparative research, and stakeholder engagement support to the committee.
