The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has unanimously adopted recommendations to establish a state police force. The decision, reached during a legislative sitting on Wednesday, marks a formal move by the state to pursue decentralised policing.
The approval followed a session where members voted without opposition to support the proposal. This legislative action places Akwa Ibom among a growing number of states in Nigeria seeking to restructure the country’s security architecture to address local crime more effectively.
The move is intended to address persistent security challenges across the state, including kidnapping, theft, and communal disputes. Proponents of the shift argue that a state-controlled force would benefit from better local intelligence and a more direct understanding of the community’s unique security needs.
Constitutional requirements for establishment
Despite the assembly’s decision, the actual creation of a state police force requires a fundamental change to the nation’s legal framework. The Akwa Ibom Assembly adopts recommendations to establish state police in a move that necessitates an amendment to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Currently, Section 214 of the Constitution mandates a single, unified police force for the entire country. For Akwa Ibom or any other state to operate its own independent police command, the National Assembly in Abuja must pass a constitutional amendment to allow for multi-layered policing structures.
The debate over state policing has been a recurring theme in Nigerian politics. Advocates suggest that the current federal policing model is overstretched and often lacks the presence required to deter crime in rural and semi-urban areas. They argue that local police officers, who are often residents of the communities they serve, are better positioned to build trust and gather actionable intelligence.
However, the proposal faces opposition from those who fear that state-controlled forces could be used as political tools by governors to target opposition members or bypass federal authority. There are also concerns regarding the financial capacity of states to fund, train, and equip such forces without compromising national standards.
The Akwa Ibom government must now engage with the federal government and the National Assembly to advocate for the necessary constitutional changes. The outcome of this legislative push will depend on the political will of the federal lawmakers and the ability of state governments to present a unified front on the issue of security decentralisation.
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