Ejiofor: Formalising State Police structure will strengthen Nigeria’s fight against crime

Michael Olumide

A former Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mike Ejiofor, has renewed his call for the establishment of state police, insisting that the system remains one of the most effective solutions to Nigeria’s growing security challenges.

Ejiofor made the remarks on Monday during an exclusive interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, where he expressed concern over the prolonged delay in implementing the policy despite broad support from major stakeholders across the country.

According to him, the creation of state police would significantly improve coordination within Nigeria’s security architecture and enhance intelligence gathering at the grassroots level.

“Well, for me, coordination will be more effective if we have the state police created. I have been a very strong advocate of the creation of state police, and I don’t know why the federal government has been dragging on this establishment,” he said.

The former DSS director noted that the President, the National Assembly and state governors have all indicated support for the idea, making the continued delay difficult to justify.

“The President has bought into the idea. The National Assembly has bought into the idea. The governors have bought into it. Virtually everybody has accepted it. So what has been delaying it?” he queried.

Ejiofor criticised the slow pace of security reforms, contrasting it with the speed at which lawmakers approve other matters.

“There are some issues that are irrelevant. When they want to take a loan, within 48 hours or even two hours, it is passed. So what has been holding them? I think they know what they are doing, especially our politicians. I can tell you that if state police is established, more than half of our problems will be solved,” he stated.

He explained that one of the biggest advantages of state police would be local recruitment, enabling officers to understand the terrain, language, culture and peculiar security challenges of their communities.

According to him, most states already operate informal security structures through vigilante groups and task forces, making the transition to state police a natural progression.

“There is no state now without a form of state police in the name of a task force or vigilante. We only need to formalise it, recruit properly, put leadership in place and get them operational,” he said.
The security expert noted, however, that one of the limitations facing existing vigilante groups is their lack of access to sophisticated weapons.

“One of the major handicaps of being a vigilante or state police is that there are no sophisticated weapons like AK-47, which the bandits use. But if they have them, they can now have the boldness to move into the forests and confront the terrorists,” he added.

Despite his support for state policing, Ejiofor warned against possible political abuse and stressed the need for adequate safeguards to ensure professionalism and accountability.

He maintained that the responsibilities of state police should be clearly defined, particularly in the areas of intelligence gathering and collaboration with federal security agencies, while serious crimes such as terrorism, sabotage and insurgency should remain under federal jurisdiction.

“There must be limits to their actions. They shouldn’t go into state crimes like terrorism, sabotage and insurgency. But if they collect intelligence, their goal is to gather intelligence and pass it on through collaborative efforts with the federal police,” he said.

Ejiofor also pointed to the trust deficit between some local communities and federal security agencies, particularly in parts of the country where police officers are often perceived as outsiders.

“You go to the South-East, for instance, and the belief is that a lot of people lobby for postings there. So they look at them as occupiers, soldiers of occupation and all that,” he stated.

The former DSS director further argued that modern security challenges require flexibility, technology and rapid response capabilities, insisting that states should have the freedom to acquire security equipment and technological tools to protect their citizens.

“There shouldn’t be any limitation if it must be effective. They can acquire technology on their own, sophisticated weapons, cameras and everything. You can’t restrict them because we are talking about security in a state, and by the time each state takes care of its own security, there won’t be places for these people to operate,” he said.

He also emphasised the importance of a transparent and non-partisan recruitment process to prevent political interference in the proposed security structure.

“The process of recruitment must be carefully undertaken so that you don’t recruit politicians and thereby compound our problems,” he warned.

Ejiofor concluded that a properly implemented state police system across the federation would significantly weaken criminal networks and deny criminals the freedom to operate across state boundaries, thereby enhancing national security and restoring public confidence in law enforcement.