State Police will strengthen grassroots security – PSN

The Parliament Support Network (PSN) has said the proposed establishment of state police will significantly strengthen grassroots security and improve Nigeria’s capacity to respond to growing security challenges across the country.

The group made the assertion while reacting to the passage of the State Police Bill by the House of Representatives, describing the development as a major step towards reforming the nation’s security architecture.

Speaking in a statement issued in Abuja, the Executive Director of PSN, Dr. Moses Onoja, said the current centralized policing structure has come under immense pressure due to rising cases of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and communal conflicts across various parts of the country.

According to him, state police would enhance intelligence gathering, improve rapid response to security threats and provide law enforcement agencies with a better understanding of local communities and their peculiar security concerns.

“State police will strengthen grassroots security and deepen the country’s ability to prevent and respond to crime. It is a reform whose time has come,” Onoja stated.

He noted that the overwhelming support for the bill by members of the House of Representatives demonstrates a growing consensus on the need for innovative approaches to addressing insecurity.

The House of Representatives had on Thursday passed the constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police, with 288 lawmakers voting in favour and only four opposing the proposal.

Onoja argued that decentralising policing would enable states to play a more active role in safeguarding lives and property while complementing the efforts of federal security agencies.

He also urged the Senate, state Houses of Assembly and other stakeholders to support the proposal to ensure its eventual adoption into the Constitution.

The PSN executive director maintained that while state police may not provide an instant solution to all security challenges, it remains a critical structural reform capable of improving security governance and public safety across the federation.

He called on Nigerians to support the initiative, stressing that the country’s security challenges require practical and decentralized solutions.