A pan-Igbo socio-political organisation, the Ndi Igbo Worldwide Union, has rejected ongoing proposals to establish state police in Nigeria, urging the Federal Government to instead adopt a regional policing structure.
The group said returning to the regional policing system that existed before the 1966 military coup would provide a more effective response to Nigeria’s growing security challenges, including banditry, kidnapping and communal violence.
In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by its President, Mazi Ben Nwankwo, and Secretary, Chief Charles Edemuzo, the union argued that many Nigerians have lost confidence in the current centralised security system.
The organisation maintained that creating state police would not address the root causes of insecurity in the country.
“State police is not the answer. Regional police, modelled on the successful architecture of 1955–1966, is the minimum requirement for meaningful reform,” the statement read.
The call comes amid renewed national debate on the decentralisation of policing in Nigeria. President Bola Tinubu has recently advocated constitutional amendments to allow the establishment of state police as part of broader efforts to tackle insecurity across the country.
Supporters of state policing argue that decentralising security operations would enable faster responses to local threats. Nigeria currently operates a centralised police structure controlled by the Federal Government.
However, the Ndi Igbo Worldwide Union warned that introducing state police could create new political and governance challenges.
According to the group, Nigeria experienced one of its most stable and prosperous periods between the mid-1950s and 1966, when the Northern, Western and Eastern Regions operated with significant autonomy, including their own police forces.
The union said policing was more effective during that period because officers were drawn from local communities and possessed knowledge of the language, culture and geography of the areas they served.
“Indigenous officers policed familiar terrain, spoke local languages and understood community dynamics. This fostered trust and improved security,” the statement added.
The group attributed part of Nigeria’s current security challenges to the centralised policing structure introduced after the military takeover in 1966
It argued that the current system often deploys officers to communities where they lack cultural familiarity and local connections, a situation it said can undermine trust and effectiveness.
“The centralisation imposed after 1966 dismantled an effective system and replaced it with a distant national force often commanded by officers unfamiliar with the regions they serve,” the group said.
The organisation further stated that regional policing would empower officers indigenous to their geopolitical zones and reduce the risk of governors abusing state police structures.
It suggested that the six geopolitical zones — North-West, North-East, North-Central, South-East, South-West and South-South — could operate regional police commands.
The union also called for broader structural reforms to strengthen Nigeria’s federation, stressing that restoring regional autonomy in governance and security could promote stability and healthy competition among regions.
“The time for cosmetic fixes is over. Nigeria must return to the regions — or risk losing the federation altogether,” the statement said.
The group urged the Federal Government and the National Assembly to prioritise constitutional amendments that would enable regional policing structures rather than state-level forces.
