Plan Calls for New State Law Enforcement Agency to Take On Local Crimes, Including Murder, Armed Thefts, and Family Abuse, According to Insider

Tunji Disu, the Inspector-General of Police, has submitted a framework for the establishment of state police, which outlines the responsibilities of the proposed State Police Services, including handling local criminal offences, domestic violence, homicide, armed robbery, and community policing.

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The framework also proposes the creation of a Federal Police Service (FPS) that would focus on national security, terrorism, interstate crime, and federal law enforcement, alongside 37 State Police Services, one per state plus the FCT.

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The State Police Services would be responsible for handling local crimes, while the FPS would handle national security and interstate crimes, under the proposed two-tier policing architecture.

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According to the proposal, every State Police Service must maintain a dedicated Department of Community Policing, with Community Policing Forums established at every Local Government Area.

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A constitutionally protected State Police Fund would receive a 3% statutory federal allocation from the Federation Account, which would be distributed based on a formula considering population, land area, security need, and fiscal capacity.

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The proposal also recommends the establishment of a National Police Standards Board (NPSB), an independent 13-member federal board that would set, monitor, and enforce minimum national standards across all police services.

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The NPSB would publish annual compliance ratings for every state service, with non-compliance triggering funding penalties, to ensure accountability and transparency.

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To prevent political abuse, the proposal recommends constitutional prohibitions on partisan deployment, independent State Police Service Commissions, and criminal sanctions for officials who issue unlawful orders.

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A Voluntary Transfer Programme (VTP) for officers would allow them to opt for transfer to their home-state or preferred State Police Service, with incentives including a three-month salary Transfer Facilitation Grant and a guaranteed Pension Continuity certificate.

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The proposal outlines a 60-Month Phased Implementation Roadmap, which includes four phases: constitutional and legal foundations, establishment of state services and VTP launches, initial operations and FPS withdrawal from local policing, and full consolidation with an independent evaluation and legislative review.

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The rollout is expected to be completed by 28/03/2028, with the framework submitted by Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu to the Senate last Thursday, as part of efforts to decentralise policing in the country.