Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former second national vice-president of the Nigerian Bar Association, Monday Ubani, says Nigeria must adopt a flexible and optional approach to state policing as lawmakers prepare to debate constitutional amendments on decentralised policing. His position comes amid growing calls for state police driven by a surge in kidnappings and banditry across several regions.
Ubani, who spoke in an exclusive interview with Tribune argued that state police should not be imposed on states that lack the financial capacity to sustain it, warning that a mandatory model could worsen insecurity rather than resolve it. He emphasised that only states with adequate resources and structures should be permitted to establish their own police forces.
Ubani, a notable figure in Nigeria’s legal community, linked the long-delayed implementation of state police to vested interests benefitting from the centralised security structure. “They didn’t want it to work because it would have removed food from their tables,” he said, referring to those profiting from insecurity and overcentralization. According to him, state policing and revitalised local governments remain key steps toward effective security. “Security starts at the local government level,” Ubani noted, urging the empowerment of local councils to address unemployment, which he described as a major driver of crime.
Ahead of the legislative debates, Ubani pointed to crucial legal and structural issues that must be resolved to prevent misuse of the system. A major concern, he said, is the fear that governors could deploy state police for political victimisation. “Why many people have been kicking against the state police has always been their fear of abuse by the state governors,” he said. He insisted that the constitutional amendment must include firm safeguards, including clear mechanisms for accountability and oversight. “If there is abuse, what happens? What should be the procedure to address or curb it? The constitutional amendment on state police must answer all of these questions.”
Funding, he stressed, is another central consideration. Ubani recommended that state police remain voluntary, allowing only financially capable states to adopt it. “They should make it optional. It should not be compulsory for all states,” he advised. He warned that poor implementation in under-resourced states could worsen insecurity by enabling the recruitment of unqualified personnel. “Any state that doesn’t have the capacity to maintain a police force should not adopt it, so that they don’t start bringing armed robbers into the system.”
Reflecting on regional security initiatives, Ubani cited the South-West’s Amotekun and the North’s Hisbah as useful models, despite their limitations. “The point is that they offer a good model,” he said. These outfits were created by law but lack authority to bear arms or conduct investigations. Under full state police, however, such powers would be expanded, and Ubani recommended integrating these existing structures. He emphasised the need for strict vetting during recruitment. “States must ensure that the people employed for the state police are properly profiled. They cannot just employ armed robbers or agberos into the system.”
Ubani cautioned that state police alone cannot solve Nigeria’s security challenges. “It’s one of the reforms. It is not the solution to all the problems,” he said. He called for broader measures, including proper funding of officers, strengthening local governments, and implementing economic reforms to reduce unemployment. “Most people that commit crime do it because they don’t have anything that they are doing,” he said, advocating a comprehensive approach to security.
On the legislative process, Ubani outlined the steps ahead. The proposal must secure a two-thirds majority in both chambers of the National Assembly before moving to at least 24 state Houses of Assembly for approval. It would then return to the National Assembly for final ratification before receiving presidential assent. “First of all, the state policing bill must be approved by two-thirds majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate,” he explained. “Then it will go to the Houses of Assembly in the 36 states and two-thirds of the state legislatures must approve it before it returns to the National Assembly for onward transmission to the President.”
Ubani noted that this effort has gained significant momentum. Once approved, each state would need to craft its own policies, backed by reliable funding. “There must be proper provision for funding. You must fund them very well,” he concluded.
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