Nigeria’s 36 state governors have called for greater constitutional powers to oversee security operations in their states as discussions on the creation of state police gather momentum.
The demand emerged from a meeting involving state attorneys-general, legal experts and senior security officials, who met to develop a framework for decentralised policing across the country.
According to a communiqué issued after the meeting, participants proposed stronger constitutional recognition of governors’ roles in coordinating security activities at the state level.
The stakeholders also backed a policing model based on cooperative federalism, where federal and state police forces would operate within clearly defined constitutional responsibilities.
Under the proposal, the federal police would retain authority over crimes of national significance, while state police services would handle the prevention, investigation and prosecution support of offences within their jurisdictions, particularly those created under state laws.
The meeting further considered transferring or restructuring some existing policing assets, commands and facilities to support the proposed state police system.
Participants also recommended that state attorneys-general be represented on the National Police Council through a rotating membership arrangement to strengthen state involvement in national policing decisions.
On funding, the stakeholders stressed the need for constitutional provisions to guarantee sustainable financing for state police services, warning that inadequate funding could weaken their effectiveness.
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