Reporting by Punch Newspapers indicates that President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the establishment of state police forces across the federation. During a high-level briefing, the President emphasized that the transition to a decentralized policing system is no longer a matter of debate but a necessary evolution to tackle localized banditry and kidnapping.
He urged calm in volatile regions, particularly Kano and Plateau, promising that the legislative framework would be fast-tracked to ensure operational readiness within the year.
The development has been mirrored in accounts from other major platforms. Vanguard News noted that the President’s vow comes amid renewed pressure from regional leaders, quoting the President as saying, “We are moving from the era of deliberation to the era of implementation because the security of our citizens cannot wait.”
Furthermore, Channels Television corroborated the federal stance, reporting that the move is aimed at bridging the gap in intelligence gathering at the grassroots level. Channels TV cited an official memo stating, “The decentralized model will prioritize local knowledge and swifter response times to rural threats.”
Echotitbits take:
The shift toward state policing represents the most significant structural change to Nigeria’s internal security architecture since 1999. While the political will appears present, the real challenge lies in the funding models and the prevention of political victimization by state governors. Watch for the National Assembly’s upcoming constitutional amendment debates to see how much autonomy these new units will truly possess.
Source: The Guardian – https://guardian.ng/news/insecurity-bickering-over-timing-safeguards-for-state-police/, February 24, 2026
Photo credit: The Guardian
