Rescuing Law Enforcement from Its Own Downfall, by Azu Ishiekwene

In January 2020, six states in Nigeria's South-West zone joined forces to establish Amotekun, a regional security outfit aimed at tackling the growing social problems in the area, essentially revisiting a policing structure that had been abandoned since 1966.

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The Unification Decree of 1966, which followed the termination of the First Republic in a military coup, had consolidated power into a single chain of command, marking the beginning of a distorted system of federalism where authority resided in the centre and was devolved to the regions, now known as states.

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Major-General Aguiyi-Ironsi, the most senior military officer at the time, had taken refuge at the Police Headquarters in Lagos after the coup led by Majors Emmanuel Ifeajuna and Chukwuma Nzeogwu, demonstrating the significant resources and capabilities of the police force back then.

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The police force, which was once decentralised along regional lines, became a national entity with the enactment of the Police Act 1966, and nearly two decades later, it was further emasculated by the military.

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Today, Nigeria's security landscape is far more complex and treacherous than it was in 1966, with terror, banditry, and organised crime becoming the norm, necessitating a review of the Constitution and the composition of the police force to adapt to these new realities.

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It is puzzling that the police high command and other stakeholders resist the idea of state police, considering it an aberration, when in fact, it is Nigeria's system of federalism that is the root of the problem, with a distorted policing system reflecting the country's dysfunctional federalism.

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In contrast, countries like the US, Canada, and India have policing systems that reflect their federal structures, balancing central and subnational responsibilities with distinct jurisdictional scopes, according to research.

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The US, for instance, operates a highly decentralised system with nearly 18,000 law enforcement agencies, including federal agencies like the FBI, DEA, ATF, and US Marshals, as well as state police, county sheriffs' offices, and municipal police departments.

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In Canada, policing follows a provincial model within its federal framework, with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police serving as the federal police and contracting with provinces and municipalities to provide police services, while Ontario and Quebec maintain independent provincial police forces.

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India's system blends central oversight with state primacy, with states managing 90 per cent of policing through their police forces, handling routine law enforcement, traffic enforcement, and crime investigation, while central agencies like the Central Reserve Police Force and the Border Security Force support states in internal security and counter-insurgency.

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Despite the resistance from Nigeria's Federal police, the state governors of Lagos, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, and Ogun pressed ahead with Amotekun, contributing vehicles, motorcycles, and other logistics to ensure its launch, with the goal of assisting the conventional police in managing crime in identified hotspots.

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Anecdotal information suggests that 23 of the 36 states in the Nigerian federation have established security outfits, with some form of state-backed or community security organisation becoming the norm rather than the exception, including the Hisbah in Kano, Civil Protection Guards in Benue, and Community Protection Guards in Zamfara.

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However, the idea of state police still sounds utopian to many, with concerns about abuse by state governors and funding issues being cited as major apprehensions, despite the fact that many states are already responsible for funding their own vigilantes.

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The fear of abuse by state governors is a valid concern, but it is insufficient to delay the commencement of state police, as a regulated policing system that sets out boundaries and a framework for adjudication between tiers of government cannot be a bad thing.

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a strong advocate of state police, seems to have regained his enthusiasm for the idea, and it is hoped that the Senate will act immediately to amend the Constitution and pave the way for the establishment of state police.