A former Commissioner of Police in Lagos and Benue States, and Special Adviser on Security to the Oyo State governor, Fatai Owoseni, (rtd), on Thursday, stated that the creation of State Police in Nigeria has reached a point where it can no longer be resisted.
He stressed, however, that the success will depend largely on adherence to the rule of law, proper funding, and effective collaboration with non-state actors.
Owoseni, who stated this during an interview on a weekly programme, The Pendulum, aired on Lagos Television, maintained that debates around police structure have consistently featured in major constitutional discussions.
“Let me start by saying that it is not a matter of whether there is justification or no justification now. The problem is such that it cannot be resisted at this moment,” he said.
While acknowledging the current push for state police, Owoseni cautioned that structural reforms alone would not automatically solve Nigeria’s security challenges unless the foundational principles of governance are strengthened.
He argued that without strong adherence to the rule of law and adequate funding, even a decentralised policing structure would struggle to deliver results.
“It is not the federal policing system that has problems. It is the way the police is handled by our leaders.
“If you have state police or community police and the basic foundation is not laid — which is the rule of law and proper funding — you will not be able to solve the problem,” he said.
According to him, the same federal police system that is often criticised today once performed effectively in the past, suggesting that institutional decline, rather than structural design, may be responsible for many of the challenges currently facing the force.
Owoseni also linked some of the systemic issues within the police to broader governance concerns, including weak democratic culture and declining respect for the rule of law.
He said Nigeria’s democracy has in many ways drifted from its foundational principles.
“We say democracy is government of the people, for the people, by the people, but what we see sometimes looks like handpicking people that will rule,” he said, pointing to voter apathy and low electoral participation as indicators of the problem.
Beyond the structural debate, Owoseni emphasised that modern policing must go beyond government-controlled security agencies and incorporate community-based systems and other non-state actors.
According to him, a ‘Whole Society Policing’ approach to policing is necessary to ensure effective security management, adding that whether you have state police or whatever, what works mostly in modern times is a whole society approach to policing.
“You need to incorporate the non-state apparatus and that is what makes policing and security effective,” he said.
Owoseni cited vigilante groups and traditional community security structures as examples of non-state actors that could be integrated into a broader policing framework.
“In Yoruba land, we have systems like ‘Konileogbele’ and other vigilante arrangements. These kinds of community-based structures can complement formal policing.
He quipped: “In the United States, campus security units are integrated into the policing system. Security guards in shopping malls are also integrated. Even ordinary community members play a role.
“That is why when an elderly woman sees something suspicious through her window, she immediately calls the police. That is what they call whole society policing.”
Owoseni therefore urged policymakers and lawmakers to approach the ongoing discussions on state police with careful planning, insisting that the debate must focus on building strong institutions rather than merely changing structures.
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