The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, has inaugurated an eight-member committee to oversee the implementation of state police.

Professor Olu Ogunsakin has been appointed to lead the eight-member state police committee, with Commissioner of Police Bode Ojajuni as secretary.

The move signals the beginning of concrete steps toward decentralised policing in the country.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the IGP described the task before the committee as “significant and timely,” stressing that it responds to the growing demand for strengthened internal security and community-responsive policing.

“It is my greatest privilege to formally inaugurate this Committee on State Policing. The task before this committee is both significant and timely, as it speaks directly to the demand to strengthen Nigeria’s internal security and ensure that policing remains responsive to the realities of our communities.” Disu said.

State policing refers to establishing law enforcement agencies under the authority of individual states, rather than the centrally controlled federal police structure.

Proponents argue that decentralised policing would enable quicker responses to local security threats, improve community engagement, and reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks associated with centralised command.

Critics, however, caution against potential political interference, funding challenges, weak oversight, and the duplication of roles.

Recently, President Bola Tinubu asked the leadership of the 10th Senate to tinker with the constitution to create a legal framework for establishing state police.

Also, during a meeting with state governors on February 23, Tinubu said he is determined to fix the insecurity pervading the country by creating state police.

Ogunsakin is a professor of police studies.

He is the Director of the National Institute for Police Studies. The institute is an affiliate of the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, Kano.

He holds a Ph.D. in Police Studies from the University of Exeter, UK; an MA in Criminal Justice from the University of Detroit, Michigan, USA; a PGC in Public Mediation from the University of Toronto, Canada; and a BSc in Human Resource Development from the University of Detroit, Michigan, USA.

He was a Senior Adviser to the City of London Police. He was appointed as Cultural Diversity Adviser and was responsible for developing standardised operational protocols for over 10 years.

He was also the lead consultant on security and policing to the Department of International Development, British Council, Nigeria.

He was also the Technical Adviser to the former Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.

With his latest appointment, Ogunsakin and his committee members have four weeks to submit their report on the implementation of state police in Nigeria.

Other members of the committee include senior police officers such as CP Emmanuel Ojukwu (Rtd), CP Bode Ojajuni, DCP Okebuchi Ogora, ACP Ikechukwu Okafor, and CSP Tolulope Ipinmisho.

He has contribute’ to major policing forums and reforms within and outside the UK. Prof. Ogunsakin has worked with the Home Office Specialist Support Unit responsible for assisting Police officers in UK, as a Syndicate Director on the Strategic Command Course, (Bramshill) National Policing Improvement Agency’s flagship course that prepares future Chief Officers in England, Wales and Scotland.

He has lectured at several major police training institutions across the world, including Interpol and continues to be highly demanded as one of leading experts in Policing in the UK. (The Nation)

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