By Olugbenga Salami
Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Olatunji Disu has handed a State Police establishment framework to the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau in a push to decentralise Nigeria’s security architecture.
The document was delivered to Barau, who chairs the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, on Thursday at his office in the National Assembly, Abuja.
A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Deputy Senate President, Ismail Mudashir, said the 75-page framework was submitted on behalf of the IGP by the Chairman of the steering committee set up by the Nigeria Police Force to examine the modalities for the establishment of State Police in the country, Professor Olu Ogunsakin.
Titled “A comprehensive framework for the establishment, governance and coordination of Federal and State Police,” it sets out proposed operations for state-level forces.
The IGP said: “The report covers the considered views, professional insights and strategic recommendations of the Force, derived from extensive consultations and a careful assessment of the operational, legal and administrative implications of instituting State Police in Nigeria.
“It is our expectation that the contents of this report will meaningfully contribute to ongoing deliberations and assist in shaping informed, balanced, and pragmatic decisions on this critical aspect of national security architecture.”
Disu said the report offers the Nigeria Police Force’s formal input to Jibrin’s committee as it reviews the constitution.
Responding, the Deputy Senate President praised the IGP’s proactiveness, noting it aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s drive to tighten national security.
He pledged the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, under his chairmanship would study the framework alongside other memos received for the constitutional review.
