Security experts have renewed calls for urgent reform of Nigeria’s policing system, citing recent killings in Kaduna and persistent insurgency in the North-East as clear evidence of the limitations of the current centralised structure.

The position was detailed in a communiqué on Monday following the 46th annual general meeting of the Alumni Association of the National Institute.

The communiqué noted that Nigeria continues to grapple with complex and widespread security challenges, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and violent conflicts, particularly in the North-East and North-West regions.

The AANI observed that the current centralised policing framework under the police is overstretched, with about 371,800 personnel serving a population of over 200 million.

According to the communique, this results in a police-to-population ratio of 1:740, far below the United Nations-recommended 1:450.

According to experts, the structure has led to slow decision-making, inadequate local responses, and operational gaps, noting that, despite governors being designated as chief security officers, they lack effective control over police commands in their states.

The communiqué added that military deployments across many states for internal security duties had further stretched the armed forces, underscoring the need for a more sustainable and locally responsive policing system.

It also identified weak intelligence implementation, poor funding, inadequate logistics, corruption and public distrust as major challenges affecting policing effectiveness nationwide.

The experts warned that while concerns exist over the potential misuse of state police by political actors, these risks could be mitigated through strong legal frameworks, accountability mechanisms and clear operational guidelines.

They therefore advocated a hybrid policing model integrating state police and community policing while retaining the police as the central coordinating authority.

The communiqué recommended constitutional amendments to transfer policing from the exclusive to the concurrent list, stressing that such reforms would enhance intelligence gathering, improve response times, and strengthen community trust. 

(NAN)