A pan-Igbo socio-political organisation, the Ndi Igbo Worldwide Union, on Sunday, rejected the ongoing proposal to establish state police in Nigeria.
The group urged the Federal Government to instead restore a regional policing structure similar to the system that existed before the 1966 Nigerian military coup.
In a statement signed by its President, Mazi Ben Nwankwo, and Secretary, Chief Charles Edemuzo Saturday, the group argued that regional policing remains the most effective way to tackle Nigeria’s worsening security challenges, including banditry, kidnapping, and communal violence.
The union said many Nigerians have lost confidence in the current centralized security system and warned that creating state police forces would not solve the underlying problems.
According to the statement, “State police is not the answer. Regional police, modeled on the successful architecture of 1955–1966, is the minimum requirement for meaningful reform.”
The call comes amid renewed national debate about decentralising policing in Nigeria. President Bola Tinubu has urged constitutional amendments to allow state police as part of broader efforts to address insecurity across the country.
Supporters of state policing argue that decentralising security operations would enable faster responses to local threats. Nigeria currently operates a centralized police structure controlled by the federal government.
However, the Ndi Igbo Worldwide Union believes the state police proposal could create new political and governance problems.
According to the group, Nigeria once experienced its most stable and prosperous period under the regional system that existed between the mid-1950s and 1966, when the Northern, Western, and Eastern Regions enjoyed significant autonomy, including their own police forces.
The union argued that policing worked more effectively during that period because officers were drawn from local communities and had deep knowledge of the language, culture, and geography of the areas they served.
“Nigeria’s most progressive and peaceful era occurred between 1955 and 1966 when the regions operated their own police forces. Indigenous officers policed familiar terrain, spoke local languages and understood community dynamics. This fostered trust and improved security,” the statement added.
The group blamed Nigeria’s current security difficulties partly on the centralized policing structure introduced after the military takeover in 1966.
According to the union, the system often places officers in communities where they lack cultural familiarity and community relationships, which can undermine trust and effectiveness.
The organisation argued that sending officers from distant regions to command policing operations elsewhere could create mistrust between communities and security agencies.
“The centralization imposed after 1966 dismantled an effective system and replaced it with a distant national force often commanded by officers unfamiliar with the regions they serve.
“Regional police would empower officers indigenous to their geopolitical zones and provide built-in checks against any single governor weaponising the police,” the union said.
The group suggested that the six geopolitical zones—North West, North East, North Central, South East, South West and South-South—could each operate regional police commands.
In this article