CSOs Call for Devolution of Policing in Nigeria

Linus Aleke in Abuja

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) operating under the banner of the Partnership Against Violent Extremism (PAVE) in collaboration with the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF) and ActionAid Nigeria, yesterday called for the decentralisation of the policing system and the devolution of policing powers in Nigeria.

The CSOs stressed that the country is long overdue for state police, recalling that at independence, Nigeria did not have a unitary policing system.
Speaking at a media engagement workshop on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism in Abuja on Monday, the Chair of the National Steering Committee of the PAVE Network – PCVE-KIRH, Jaye Gaskia, accused the military of transforming the nation’s police into a centralised system.
He emphasised that prior to this, all regions had their own police units, and the provinces also maintained independent forces.

Stating that internal security is fundamentally about the community, Gaskia noted that policing is most effective when it is community-based.
He stressed that wherever policing has been successful globally, it has been decentralised and devolved.

According to him: “The origin of policing itself is rooted in communities. What we call the police today evolved from night watchmen in the UK. The first policing units were community night watchmen.

“Therefore, in a country as large and diverse as Nigeria with its vast ethnic diversity and large population — we are tempting fate by insisting on a centrally controlled system. The belief that we can police this nation from one central location is precisely why we continue to get it wrong.

“The UK, for instance, is a unitary state — not a federation like Nigeria — yet it still maintains numerous police departments. The Metropolitan Police is distinct from the police departments in London or Manchester.

“In the United States, there are 18,101 police departments, ranging from the smallest sheriff’s office in a community of 500 people to the New York Police Department, which is the largest in the country. In addition to the New York City Police, there is also the New York State Police.”

Acknowledging legitimate concerns about the potential misuse of state police by state governors, Gaskia argued that safeguards can and must be implemented.
He explained: “We also need to recognise our own roles as citizens and civil society groups in holding leaders accountable. To decentralise policing in Nigeria, we need a National Police Act. First, we require a Federal Police Act to establish the federal police. Then, we need a National Policing Act to define minimum conditions and standards for all police forces.

“Based on these laws, state governments can then enact their own legislation to establish state police forces — provided they meet certain national principles and standards.

“If, by any chance, a state police force oversteps its bounds, it can be federalised, with its functions taken over by federal authorities. These are the kinds of guarantees we must establish.

“Secondly, state police must serve all residents — they must be citizens’ police, not ethnic militias. Recruitment should be based on residency, not indigeneship.”
At the capacity-building workshop, he added: “We are here to engage with media practitioners who report on peace and security issues and are interested in the prevention and countering of violent extremism.”

This conversation, he said, is aimed at building a sustainable relationship between civil society actors and the media in addressing violent extremism in Nigeria.