IGP Olatunji Disu addressing senior police officers during his inaugural conference at Force Headquarters, Abuja, on March 4, 2026. Photo: NPF
A coalition of several Yoruba civil society, sociocultural and self-determination groups, under the aegis of the Yoruba Assembly, has faulted the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, over his proposed 60-month phased implementation roadmap for state police.
They urged President Bola Tinubu to invoke an executive order that would, within weeks, direct states to recruit their own police to fight insurgency and terrorism instead of waiting for 60 months...READ FULL; FROM THE SOURCE.
The group said 60 months was too long for the creation of state police, given the urgent need to stem the tide of violence, terrorism, and pervasive insecurity in the country.
The groups that converged for the summit held at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, included the Yoruba Council of Elders, Agbekoya, Vigilante, Oodua Peoples Congress, Oodua Nationalist Coalition and Oodua Youth Movement.
Leader of the Assembly and one-time Secretary of the National Democratic Coalition Abroad, Wale Oshun, urged Tinubu to ensure the quick implementation of state police for Nigeria to efficiently tackle worsening security challenges, while warning against potential misuse by political actors.
The new IG has proposed a 60-month phased implementation roadmap, including the fact that about 60 per cent of Nigeria’s existing police personnel would move to state police, while 40 per cent would remain within the federal structure.
Oshun said, “We are surprised that the successor of former IGP Kayode Egbetokun, Tunde Disu, is proposing an implementation process that may ultimately frustrate the prospect of the full implementation of state police, and all these, to our mind, are consistent with the position of successive Inspectors-General of Police who, in August 2012, visited then President Jonathan and rallied against sub-national policing.
Oshun linked the call for state police to broader constitutional reforms, arguing that Nigeria must embrace restructuring to allow federating units greater control over their affairs.
He maintained that sub-national policing is only one component of a wider effort to address systemic governance and security failures.
Oshun said, “The issue of sub-national policing is just one of the many issues. What we need are constitutional reforms that will allow diverse groups to run their lives in ways acceptable to them.”
While acknowledging concerns that governors could weaponise state police, Oshun insisted that economic restructuring and improved productivity would enable states to fund and manage their security systems effectively.
He also highlighted the role of regional security outfits such as Amotekun, noting that collaboration among governors remained critical to tackling insecurity.
“No single governor can face security issues alone. They must cooperate and strengthen border areas to prevent criminal infiltration,” he added.
The communiqué at the end of the summit read, “We call for immediate implementation of the process leading to state police. The 60-month proposal is an illusion. It undermines the urgency and woefully fails to appreciate the perilous security situation in Nigeria.
“The security cobwebs should urgently be unlocked. Nigeria needs state policing. The President should issue an executive order that empowers mobile police units to be transferred to their states of origin.
“Nigeria is in a dire security situation that demands a bold and decisive step. State police is a public policy. It is not for the police alone.
“Input from the people, civil society, academic community, traditional rulers and state governors is essential for a policy with far-reaching implications for peace, prosperity and stability of the country.”
Participants at the summit also condemned the October 2025 coup plot, warning that the people of South-West Nigeria would exit the country if there was military intervention.
The Yoruba Assembly noted that such military intervention would throw the country into turmoil.
The former House of Representatives member stated that any attempt to subvert constitutional doctrines and processes would be resisted by the people of the South-West.
“We admit the challenges of democracy. Today, there are problems of insecurity, hunger, deprivation and economic downturn.
“These are historical challenges arising from years of misrule, totalitarianism, corruption and moral decline, of which 27 years of military rule contributed mainly to the afflictions of today. Military rule will never rule the Yoruba again.
“Any attempt to overthrow the current democratic experience will have terrible consequences for Nigeria.
“For us in Yorubaland, we shall exit the country instead of having military rule,” the communiqué issued at the end of the summit, signed by its leader, Oshun, stated.
Earlier, a former National Commissioner, Independent National Electoral Commission, Pro Lai Olurode, who was the keynote speaker, described state policing as “an imperative” for achieving peace and effective governance in the country.
He argued that Nigeria’s security cannot be centrally managed from Abuja, stressing that decentralisation would enhance local intelligence and improve response to threats.
“You cannot govern Nigeria in terms of peace and security from Abuja. It’s not working, and it’s not going to work,” Olurode said.
The don, however, emphasised that the structure of state police must be carefully designed to prevent abuse, noting that it should emerge from a broad elite consensus across the country.
According to him, different regions should be allowed to adopt models that reflect their peculiar realities, adding that personnel of state police formations should largely be drawn from their local environments for effectiveness.
Olurode also called for financial autonomy for states to sustain policing systems, alongside the integration of community policing structures involving traditional rulers, local leaders and civil society groups.
“It’s not enough to say we want state police. What are the parameters? How are they going to function in such a way that there will be no abuse?” he queried.
Olurode called on Yoruba people to create a dynamic shift in their attitude to politics, lamenting that most Yoruba people usually register but fail to come out on voting day.
He further urged the people of the South-West to exercise their franchise as the 2027 election draws closer.
He stressed that in past elections, there was always voter apathy, unlike in the North-West, North-East and North-Central geopolitical zones, where voters come out en masse to vote for candidates of their choice.
He, however, called for unity among the people of the South-West and continuous demand for state police until the Federal Government heeds the call.
Olurode said the Yoruba heritage is grounded in liberty, respect for dissent, tolerance of opposition, justice and equity.
In his remarks, the convener of the Assembly, Wale Adeoye, called for the immediate establishment of state police and proposed an executive order to tackle Nigeria’s deepening insecurity.
Adeoye criticised the centralised policing system, saying it alienated local communities and failed to address grassroots security realities.
“You cannot do something for us without us. If there is no consultation, then it is not for us,” he said.
Adeoye argued that effective policing must be community-driven, noting that locals possess better knowledge of their environment than officers deployed from outside their regions.
“The people in the village know the streets, the waterways, the bad boys and the good ones. You cannot bring someone from Abuja to police them effectively,” he added.
He faulted the reluctance of the Nigerian Police to embrace state policing, insisting that the decision should not be left solely to federal authorities.
According to him, state governments, particularly in the South-West and South-East, must take the initiative by making independent recommendations on decentralised policing.
Adeoye warned that delays in implementing reforms could worsen insecurity, especially with political transitions that may stall ongoing efforts.
“In the next 60 months, there could be another administration with a different agenda. We cannot afford to wait,” he said.
To address the urgency, he proposed a temporary solution through an executive order by the President directing mobile police personnel to operate within their states of origin.
“A President can issue an executive order that mobile policemen return to their states to protect their communities while we work toward full state policing,” he said.
The convener described the level of insecurity in some communities as overwhelming, lamenting that many areas have been deserted as residents flee attacks.
“The situation is beyond us. Entire communities have been abandoned. People are afraid to go to farms, to run their businesses,” he said.
He also warned that the spread of insecurity could threaten major economic assets, including oil-producing regions, if not urgently contained.
Adeoye stressed that temporary measures must be taken to prevent further loss of lives while broader constitutional processes toward state policing continue.
“We cannot wait for long constitutional processes while people are being killed. There must be emergency action,” he said.
He added that the political economy of any society should reflect age-long cultural norms.
Leaders of civil societies and self-determination groups that attended the summit included Wasiu Afolabi, Rasaq Arogundade, Femi Obayori, Kunle Oshodi, Razaq Olokooba, and Taofik Adeyemi, among other Yoruba leaders.
The gathering brought together hundreds of delegates across the six states of the South-West, as well as from Kogi, Kwara, Delta and Edo states.
