Nigeria's IGP Tunji Disu backs state police reform to boost community policing

Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu advocated the creation of state police forces in Nigeria, saying the reform would bring policing closer to communities, improve intelligence gathering and enable faster responses to security threats. He emphasized that the initiative is still in its early stage and will require extensive consultations, comparative studies of jurisdictions that already operate state police, and capacity‑building before full implementation.

Disu explained that the proposed State Police Bill would move policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List of the Constitution, allowing state governments to establish, finance and manage their own police formations alongside the federal Nigeria Police Force. Speaking at the United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit in New York, he also highlighted Nigeria’s long‑standing contributions to UN peacekeeping missions since 1960 and affirmed the country’s commitment to international security efforts.