Nigeria would require 554,353 additional police personnel to operate the proposed State Police system effectively, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has revealed, warning that unequal financial resources could leave some states dangerously underprepared. Abiodun, Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum, spoke at a colloquium organised to commemorate the posthumous 70th birthday of former Ondo State […]
Nigeria would require 554,353 additional police personnel to operate the proposed State Police system effectively, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has revealed, warning that unequal financial resources could leave some states dangerously underprepared.
Abiodun, Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum, spoke at a colloquium organised to commemorate the posthumous 70th birthday of former Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State.
The gathering examined the fundamentals and governance of State Police, bringing together serving and former governors, lawmakers, security officials, traditional rulers, academics and other stakeholders to discuss a new approach to national security.
Citing data from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and the United Nations benchmark of one police officer to 414 citizens, Abiodun said Nigeria needed more than half a million additional officers. He explained that recruiting approximately 184,784 personnel annually over three years would help meet the projected requirement.
He insisted that the country had reached a point where discussions must focus on implementing State Police rather than continuing to debate its necessity. According to him, a policing structure controlled from Abuja cannot adequately respond to every community’s unique security needs.
Abiodun argued that local knowledge was critical to effective policing, noting that officers familiar with a community’s language and terrain would be better positioned to understand its challenges. He rejected the suggestion that State Police would undermine national unity, describing the reform as a foundation for stability and prosperity.
Despite his support for the proposal, the governor warned that differences in states’ revenue-generating capacity could threaten its implementation. He said Lagos, Rivers, the Federal Capital Territory, Ogun and Enugu accounted for 61.6 per cent of internally generated revenue, while 76 per cent of states earned below the national average of N13,600 per capita. Half of the states, he added, generated less than N6,334 per person.
He cautioned that allowing states to shoulder the financial burden without adequate support could create an uneven security system, with poorer states unable to recruit, equip and maintain sufficient personnel.
“Underfunding one state’s police becomes everyone’s crisis,” Abiodun warned, arguing that insecurity in financially disadvantaged states could spill across state boundaries and become a national problem.
To address the challenge, he proposed a constitutional State Police Take-Off Fund that would provide grants based on equal access, additional support according to need and disbursements tied to compliance with established standards. He said such a framework would help ensure that states could establish and maintain a minimum level of policing capacity.
The governor also disclosed that a Presidential Working Group was preparing plans covering the operation, financing and oversight of the proposed system. Its work, he said, included accountability arrangements, recruitment procedures, training, governance and mechanisms for addressing misconduct.
Abiodun maintained that recruitment must be transparent and properly vetted, with personnel trained to conduct investigations, handle evidence, make lawful arrests, manage conflicts and use force proportionately. He also emphasised the need to protect vulnerable members of society.
He warned that the new police structure must not become a tool for political retaliation, insisting that journalists, opposition politicians, peaceful protesters and minority communities must enjoy equal protection under the law. He said disagreement with those in power must never strip citizens of their rights.
Beyond recruitment and training, Abiodun called for better welfare for police personnel, including regular payment of salaries, appropriate equipment, medical care, insurance and dependable support for their families. He said funding must also account for communications, investigations, maintenance and the replacement of equipment.
The governor further cautioned that private contributions to security trust funds must not give donors control over police operations. He said such funding could supplement government resources only where clear rules and public accountability prevented contributors from influencing investigations or receiving preferential treatment.
Making a case for the economic importance of the proposed reform, Abiodun said insecurity discouraged investment, restricted farmers’ access to their farms and weakened the benefits of infrastructure projects. He argued that a secure environment was essential to Nigeria’s ambition of developing a $1 trillion economy.
He also acknowledged Akeredolu’s contribution to decentralised security, recalling the late governor’s role in establishing the Western Nigeria Security Network, known as Operation Amotekun, on January 9, 2020.
Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa said Akeredolu’s campaign for State Police had progressed from a regional initiative into a central issue in Nigeria’s national policy and constitutional debates. He said the late governor viewed public office as an opportunity to serve rather than a symbol of status.
Aiyedatiwa urged the country to develop a professional and accountable State Police system capable of responding to local security threats without exposing citizens to abuse. He said the challenge was to balance national cohesion with local responsiveness, federal authority with state capacity, and effective policing with fundamental rights.
Former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi described Akeredolu as a leader whose convictions were not dictated by political convenience. He said the late governor’s legacy included demonstrating how regional cooperation could produce practical responses to security problems affecting individual states.
Director-General of the DAWN Commission Seye Oyeleye also called for the discussion to move from remembrance to implementation. He said stakeholders must resolve questions surrounding financing, training, equipment, regulation and protection against political interference.
Oyeleye maintained that State Police was neither a regional nor an ethnic project but a national necessity linked to Nigeria’s federal structure and prevailing security challenges.