Tinubu’s State Police Breakthrough Signals Bold Shift in Nigeria’s Security and Governance Reform

The long-running debate over state police has reached a defining moment, driven by the urgency of Nigeria’s worsening security challenges. After years of delay and hesitation from past administrations, President Bola Tinubu has moved the country toward a new policing structure by giving states the freedom to establish their own police formations. The decision, announced last week as part of a national security emergency declaration, marks one of the most consequential shifts in Nigeria’s internal security framework in decades.

The President’s directive came alongside additional measures, including orders to the Armed Forces and the Nigeria Police Force to recruit more personnel and a mandate for the State Security Service to deploy trained forest guards to confront terrorists, bandits and other violent groups hiding in remote terrains. Earlier, Tinubu also instructed the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to withdraw officers attached to VIPs and redirect them to frontline duties. According to Egbetokun, over 11,000 officers have now been reassigned.

While each of these steps expands operational manpower, the state police approval stands out as the deepest structural reform. For years, successive leaders acknowledged its necessity but failed to summon the political resolve to push it through. Tinubu’s endorsement signals a readiness to confront insecurity at its roots by allowing policing functions to reflect local realities.

This move also fits within the administration’s broader reform pattern. Since assuming office, the President has advanced decentralisation in multiple sectors. One of his earliest actions was signing a power sector reform law that opened electricity generation, transmission, and distribution to states, enabling sub-nationals to drive their own energy solutions. The Federal Capital Territory’s funds were similarly removed from the Treasury Single Account, giving the FCT Minister direct access to execute long-delayed infrastructure projects, contributing to the city’s recent transformation.

Economically, Tinubu undertook significant reforms spanning energy pricing, foreign exchange policy and tax restructuring. The removal of fuel and forex subsidies addressed long-standing distortions that enriched a connected few while draining national resources. A streamlined tax framework, set to take effect next year, reduces the complexity of the tax environment without imposing new burdens on citizens. Early indicators suggest economic stability is gradually returning.

Yet, the gains of these reforms cannot fully reach ordinary Nigerians without improved security. Persistent attacks by terrorists, bandits and criminal groups continue to undermine livelihoods, disrupt education and limit economic activity. This is why no measure, including the push for state police, is being left off the table.

Advocates of state policing argue that communities possess intimate knowledge of local criminals and patterns of crime, making them better positioned to prevent and detect threats. Empowering states to act on this intelligence could reshape the security landscape. Critics, however, warn that governors may misuse state police to target opponents. But analysts point out that even federal police have been weaponised in the past, citing the #EndSARS protests as an example of systemic abuse. The key, therefore, lies in strong safeguards, training and accountability frameworks.

The National Assembly now holds a crucial role in giving legal effect to the policy shift. Lawmakers must formulate the enabling legislation, clarify operational boundaries and establish oversight systems to prevent political overreach. In a federal system, the existence of state police should have been standard, and many argue that its absence has contributed to Nigeria’s current vulnerability.

Tinubu himself underscored the urgency, calling on the legislature to begin reviewing the laws that would allow states ready for state police to proceed. He also advised states to reconsider siting boarding schools in isolated areas without proper security, while urging religious institutions in vulnerable communities to seek active police protection.

Alongside structural reforms, citizens also have responsibilities. Strengthening whistleblowing mechanisms is essential for exposing crime and aiding investigations. The chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, has long advocated stronger legal protections for whistleblowers, and the call for legislative action has now become more critical.

Nigeria stands at a defining threshold. The combination of security restructuring, economic reform and decentralisation presents an opportunity the country has sought for years. Fully seizing it will require coordinated action from government institutions, communities and citizens.