Senior government officials, governors, lawmakers, security experts and international stakeholders met in Abuja on Thursday to discuss the proposed creation of state police, with many of them backing reforms aimed at changing Nigeria’s policing system.
They agreed that worsening insecurity across the country requires a security structure that allows states to play a bigger role while ensuring proper funding, accountability and legal safeguards.
The meeting took place during the ARISE News and THISDAY Town Hall on State Police and National Security. Participants said creating state police could improve the fight against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes, but warned that the reform must be supported by strong laws to prevent abuse and political interference.
The gathering came shortly after President Bola Tinubu inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill. The committee is expected to prepare the legal framework for implementing state police following the Senate’s approval of the constitutional amendment bill that seeks to move policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List.
Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, said military operations alone cannot end insecurity. According to him, the country must combine military action with dialogue, intelligence gathering, community participation and efforts to tackle the causes of violence.
He explained that troops are trained before deployment and operate under strict rules of engagement, but admitted that fighting insurgents remains difficult because they often hide among civilians.
Musa said security agencies achieve better results when local communities provide useful information,