As Enugu Sets the Pace for Tech-driven State Policing…

With the prospects of the long elusive state police looking bright, Enugu State’s huge investment in modern security infrastructure appears to be the way to go to make the devolution of policing powers worthwhile, writes Deji Elumoye.

The recent Arise News Townhall on State Policing may have come and gone, but its impacts and insights have been far-reaching. With the Theme “Building a National Consensus for State Police and National Security,” the Townhall held at THISDAY DOME in Abuja was truly a gathering of the who-is-who, as the nation’s security sector, political leadership, the civil society, and even the international community as represented by former two-time Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Barak, weighed in on the powers, structure, control and funding of state police services, which constitutional enablement appears quite imminent.

But in practical terms, Enugu State, under the leadership of Governor Peter Mbah, stood out as a pacesetter and forward thinker in the conversation around state police and modern security in general.  While most states were still waiting for the constitutional amendment that would devolve policing to the subnational, the Mbah Administration has proactively invested in hi-tech security infrastructure and manpower to effectively police the state within the precincts of extant laws.

For proper backgrounding, Governor Mbah inherited a state that was under siege – where nightlife was gone, some streets, including the streets in the state capital barricaded, Mondays were gone, while many students lost an entire academic year, for their inability to write important examinations or subjects in their final year due to illegal sit-at-home. Criminals, who disguised as separatist agitators, hosted their camps of atrocities in deep inside the forests in various parts of Enugu State.

National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, captured it aptly way back in December 2023, citing how Mbah was able to end illegal sit-at-home orders and their monstrous enforcers, aka Unknown Gunmen, in just six months.

According to Ribadu: “Before the coming of this (Mbah) administration, police stations were being attacked, law enforcement personnel were being attacked. People were giving selfish orders. Those who are not even in Nigeria will sit somewhere in the comfort of the countries where they live and be selfishly giving instructions that people should not go to work; that people should not go out to look for their own livelihood and people used to take such orders.  But no more; it is no longer happening.”

So, many were not surprised that the moderators of the Arise Townhall, ace broadcasters, Reuben Abati and Charles Aniagolu, turned to Mbah, who was on the first panel of lead discussants, to share the Enugu State experience.

“One of the major issues about state police, beyond all the fears of potential abuse, is funding. How do we deal with state police – a police that needs technology urgently- surveillance, forensincs, communication system, intelligence gathering, data analysis?

“And many people say Nigeria is really far behind many other countries in terms of modernising the police. But no one can deny that Enugu State has taken the lead in that direction. It has invested heavily in surveillance technology, command and control centre, and intelligence-led policing.

“Governor, let me ask you, how did you do it? And with all that you know now, with all that investment, is that the direction the Nigerian state should be moving towards?” Aniagolu asked the Enugu governor.

Responding, Mbah said, “If the Enugu experience is anything to go by, we came into office recognising that we have made commitments to eradicate poverty, to grow the economy exponentially, to make Enugu State the preferred destination for business, for business, living, and investment.

“We immediately recognised that if we don’t address the security challenges. Therefore, we had to invest hugely in technology, in building a safe city surveillance system with the CCTV cameras that are AI -nabled, as well as having both the static and the mobile cameras. All these come with huge costs.      “But the human element is also important, which is essentially why we had to set up the Distance Response Squad (DRS). As a governor, must build the capability to first nip crime in the bud. But where there has been a breach, you must have the capacity to act swiftly. And if the Enugu experience is anything to go by, that essentially is what we did that enabled us to drive down violent crimes by over 90 per cent.

“We also ensured that there is a unified communication system between the agencies. Our Command and Control Centre houses all the security agencies in the state – the police, the army, the Directorate of State Services. They all have a channel of communication.”

Elaborating on Mbah’s intervention, a former governor of Ogun State, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, in his closing remarks, said the Enugu model should be recommended to other states, noting that the era of infantry fighting, solider to soldier was gone.

He said: “I was in Enugu for the 2025 Guild of Editors’ Conference. The Government of Enugu State set up giant cameras that can see miles away and they are able to round up the whole of Enugu.

“So, as we discuss state security, our state governments should also be proactive and be digital in ensuring full surveillance.”

This is not the first time Enugu’s strides in tech-driven security system has drawn applauses. Inaugurating the Enugu Command and Control Centre  on January 4, 2025,  President Bola Tinubu had declared that “Mbah is doing everything possible to provide security,” noting that “there is no better investment than the investment to secure lives.”

“I saw modern technology. I saw those cars, the Distress Response Squad. It is the way to go,” he said.

Earlier in October 2024,  Vice President Kashim Shettima had expressed awe at what Mbah was able to build in just a year.

“If I say I was impressed by what I saw in Enugu, it is an understatement. I was overwhelmed. He has embraced modernity. He has embraced digital technology. Most of the things I saw are avant-garde technology, state-of-the-art security infrastructure.”

Meanwhile, only recently, Mbah inaugurated the Centre for DNA Forensics and Criminal Investigation, Enugu, a strategic partnership between the Enugu State Government and Godfrey Okoye University.

Mbah had one message for criminal elements during the inauguration witnessed by the Attorney General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu.

 “To those who seek to undermine the peace and security of our people, the message is very simple: you can run, but you cannot hide,” he declared.

Fagbemi, in his remarks, said the Centre “places Enugu and Nigeria on the path of advanced jurisdictions that have integrated forensic science into the core of their security and justice architecture.”

 “In an era when criminal enterprises are becoming increasingly sophisticated, security agencies must be equipped with equally sophisticated investigative capabilities,” he stated.

The IGP, on his part, said the Centre “represents enormous opportunities to strengthen investigations into homicide, kidnapping, terrorism, armed robbery, sexual offences, human trafficking, missing persons, and other grave crimes.”

Fagbemi and Disu also seized the opportunity to tour the Enugu State Command and Control Centre.

Disu had said, “I must confess that I am surprised we have this kind of facility here in this state. I worked in Lagos. I know we had something like this in Lagos, but the advancement of this present one amazes me.

“This is a control room that has a lot of facilities with the ability to see almost everywhere in this state. There is no place that is left ungoverned from the control room. We can see the forest. We can zoom in – I think over 40km – to be able to see far away. We can zoom in close to 30 kilometers away. That is great security.

“I wish every state in Nigeria will come here and emulate what is happening. I have seen AI cameras. I have seen officers dedicated to certain areas of the state watching, seeing what is happening.

“I have also seen records of the successes recorded through this control room. One more time, I wish all the states in Nigeria will come around, see what is happening here and emulate it.”

The Inspector -General, who was once the Commander of the Rapid Response Force (RRF) in Lagos State, also commended Enugu State’s Distress Response Squad (DRS) initiative which is a special police unit with over 150 security vehicles mounted with AI-enabled cameras linked to the Command and Control Centre. Officers on duty also wear body cams to ensure accountability.

“I moved around. I saw the state’s DRS and then we put them to test. They did not know I was listening to them. We put them to test. We asked them to move to a certain part of the town and within two, three, four minutes, they were there. It shows their efficiency. They have shown capacity and I thank the governor of this state for investing in security of the people of the state,” Disu said.

As the nation prepares for state police, one thing is certain: the quest for state police must also be matched with commitment to investing heavily in both modern security infrastructure and personnel – just as Enugu State is already doing. Anything short of that would amount to multiplying into 36 places all the problems bedevilling the Nigeria Police Force.