Governor Peter Mbah has declared that the national debate over state police has effectively been concluded, urging policymakers to focus instead on how to implement a decentralised policing system capable of responding more effectively to modern security threats.
Speaking at the ARISE NEWS Townhall on State Police, the Mbah argued that Nigeria’s challenge was no longer whether state police should exist, but how to structure and operationalise a policing framework that gives sub-national governments the authority needed to discharge their constitutional responsibility for security and welfare.
“I think that’s a settled debate. What we really should be talking about is how do we measure? How do we implement?”
Mbah said the Constitution already places responsibility for security and welfare on government, but questioned whether governors currently possess the operational authority required to meet that responsibility. “What we’re essentially saying here is, do we have the operational authority to match that responsibility?”
He maintained that Nigeria’s existing centralised policing structure has failed to evolve in line with the country’s changing security environment.
“The current model has not kept pace with the security threats we face today as a country.”
Using Enugu State as an example, the governor said his administration inherited a severe security crisis that threatened economic activity, education and social life. “We had the nightlife was gone. Mondays were deserted. Schools closed, we also have our children who lost an entire year because they could not sit external exams.”
According to him, the scale of the crisis forced his government to prioritise security as the foundation for economic recovery and investment attraction. “Security became the biggest elephant in the room.”
Mbah said the state invested heavily in surveillance technology, artificial intelligence-enabled monitoring systems and a Distress Response Squad built in collaboration with existing police formations. “We had to invest hugely in technology, we had to set up the distress response squad.”
He stressed that while technology was important, the human response component remained indispensable because security incidents required immediate intervention.
“Matters of security is measured in minutes, you must be in a position where you’re able to act swiftly.”
The governor said the combination of technology and locally coordinated security capability produced measurable results in Enugu. “That essentially is what we did in Enugu that enabled us to drive down the violent crime by over 90%.”
Mbah argued that the experience demonstrated why decentralised policing was no longer a theoretical proposition but a practical necessity for states seeking to protect lives, attract investment and drive economic growth.
“There should be a national standard. There should be a local capability. There should be a national support. There should be a local decision making.”
He also called for flexibility in any constitutional amendment establishing state police, warning that the new system would inevitably require adjustments as it evolves.
“There would be, of course, a change management system.”
“If we have to reform, we should be able to do that without going through, again, a constitutional amendment process.”
Mbah concluded that effective security governance requires responsibility to be accompanied by operational authority, insisting that the principle should no longer be open to debate. “The view that responsibility should also go with some level of operational authority, in my view, shouldn’t be debatable.”
