NEC Postpones Decision on State Police to Jan as Govs Back Proposal

Abuja, Nigeria – The governors of Nigeria’s 36 states have expressed unanimous support for the establishment of state police as a solution to the nation’s persistent insecurity challenges.

This was one of the major outcomes of Thursday’s National Economic Council (NEC) meeting, presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The move toward state-controlled police is seen as a critical step to address the unique security challenges in various states and counteract the inadequacies of the current centralized policing framework.

During the meeting, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani confirmed that all 36 states, except the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have submitted their reports on the proposal. He noted that discussions were centered on these submissions, emphasizing the widespread agreement among governors on the need for decentralizing policing.

Despite the widespread support, NEC deferred final deliberations on the matter to its January meeting. Governor Sani explained that the NEC secretariat would use the time to compile a comprehensive report based on the states’ submissions and conduct further stakeholder engagements to refine the proposals.

“Today, the council decided to step down the discussion until the next council meeting, because we need to come up with a report from the secretariat. After the report, there will be deliberation at the next NEC meeting likely taking place in January,” Governor Sani said.

Rationale for State Police

Governor Sani outlined the rationale for state police, pointing to the security challenges exacerbated by ungoverned spaces and a lack of personnel in existing security agencies. He argued that decentralizing the policing system would allow states to tailor security strategies to their specific needs, thereby enhancing overall safety.

“Virtually every state has its peculiarity in terms of the problem of insecurity,” he said. “Knowing fully well that we have a lot of ungoverned spaces in Nigeria and also a deficit in personnel among security agencies, many of us agreed that the establishment of state police is the way forward.”

He added that the proposal has gained significant momentum, with most states recognizing the need for localized policing to address the growing insecurity effectively.

The NEC secretariat is expected to present a detailed report in January, incorporating input from states and recommendations from further stakeholder engagements. Once deliberated, a final decision on the establishment of state police is anticipated.

The push for state police comes amid rising calls for reform as states struggle to secure their regions in the face of increasing security threats.