Nigeria Police Chief Submits State Police Framework

Nigeria's push for decentralized policing advanced this week as Inspector General of Police Tunji Disu submitted a comprehensive 75-page framework to Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, outlining proposals for establishing state police services alongside a restructured federal force. The document, presented on Thursday in Abuja, comes amid ongoing constitutional amendments aimed at addressing longstanding security challenges in the country.

The framework recommends a two-tier policing architecture, creating a Federal Police Service to handle national security threats such as terrorism, interstate crimes, and federal law enforcement, while 37 State Police Services, including one for the Federal Capital Territory, would focus on local offenses like armed robbery, homicide, domestic violence, and community-level policing. To staff the new system, it proposes voluntarily transferring about 60 percent of the Nigeria Police Force's roughly 370,000 officers to state services, with the remaining 40 percent staying in the federal structure. Participants in the Voluntary Transfer Programme would receive incentives, including a three-month salary grant, transition training, and pension...