State police: Nigerian governors demand more security powers

The 36 Nigerian Governors have asked for more constitutional power over security operations in their respective states.

The governors made this demand after their meeting on the establishment of state police.

The demand is contained in their bulletin after the meeting.

The meeting, held last week, brought together state Attorneys-General, legal experts, and senior security officials to harmonise proposals for a constitutional and institutional framework for decentralized policing across the country.

At the meeting was a proposal for more constitutional recognition of the governors’ roles in coordinating security operations locally,

A major outcome of the meeting was developing a policing structure rooted in cooperative federalism, where federal and state police institutions operate within clearly defined constitutional and statutory jurisdictions.

Under this arrangement, the Federal Police Service would retain exclusive responsibility for offenses considered national in scope.

Another proposal from the meeting that State Police Services would be empowered to prevent, investigate and support the prosecution of offences within their constitutionally assigned jurisdiction, especially offences created under state laws.

The framework considers mechanisms for the transfer or restructuring of certain existing policing assets, commands and facilities to support State Police.

Another recommendation was that there would be a rotating representative of State Attorneys-General on the National Police Council to strengthen state participation in national policing oversight and policy formulation.

The stakeholders, while weighing in on funding stressed the need for clear constitutional provisions guaranteeing sustainable financial support for state policing structures.

“Without predictable financial support, state police services could face operational difficulties that would undermine their effectiveness,” stakeholders at the meeting said.