A pan-Igbo socio-political organisation, the Ndi Igbo Worldwide Union, has rejected the proposal to establish state police in Nigeria, urging the Federal Government to instead adopt a regional policing system similar to the one that existed before the 1966 military coup.
The group made its position known in a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its President, Mazi Ben Nwankwo, and Secretary, Chief Charles Edemuzo.
It argued that regional policing would be more effective in addressing Nigeria’s growing security challenges, including banditry, kidnapping and communal violence.
According to the organisation, many Nigerians have lost confidence in the current centralized security structure, warning that creating police forces controlled by individual states would not solve the country’s deeper security problems.
“State police is not the answer. Regional police, modeled on the successful architecture of 1955–1966, is the minimum requirement for meaningful reform,” the statement said.
The call comes amid an ongoing national debate over decentralising policing in Nigeria. President Bola Tinubu has previously supported constitutional amendments that would allow states to establish their own police forces as part of efforts to tackle insecurity.
Supporters of state policing argue that decentralised security operations would enable faster responses to local threats.
Nigeria currently operates a centralised policing system controlled by the federal government through the Nigeria Police Force.
However, the Ndi Igbo Worldwide Union warned that introducing state police could create political and governance challenges if governors misuse the system for partisan purposes.
The organisation said Nigeria experienced one of its most stable periods between the mid-1950s and 1966, when the former regional governments—Northern, Western and Eastern—maintained their own police forces.
According to the group, policing during that period was more effective because officers were recruited locally and had deeper knowledge of the communities 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 union blamed many of Nigeria’s current security problems on the centralized policing system introduced after the 1966 Nigerian military coup, arguing that the system often deploys officers to areas where they lack cultural familiarity and local connections.
The group suggested that Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones—North West, North East, North Central, South East, South West and South-South—should each operate regional police commands.
It said such a structure would empower officers who understand the language, culture and terrain of their regions while providing checks against the possible abuse of power by individual state governments.
The statement adds to the growing national conversation about security reforms as Nigeria continues to grapple with rising insecurity across several parts of the country.
