By CHARLES IWUOHA

A pan-Igbo association, Ndi Igbo Worldwide Union, has called for a return to regional police structure in Nigeria, warning that state police is not the answer to insecurity in the country.

The demand is coming amid indications that President Bola Tinubu is ready to establish state police in Nigeria.

The President recently urged the Senate to fast track the amendment of relevant provisions of the constitution to incorporate state police.

However, in a statement on Saturday jointly signed by its President, Mazi Ben Nwankwo, and Secretary, Chief Charles Edemuzo, Ndi Igbo Worldwide Union said a return to regional police would guarantee national security, justice and development.

The Igbo union insisted that state police is a distraction.

"Ndi Igbo Worldwide Union stands firmly with millions of Nigerians who are weary of endless insecurity, bloodshed, kidnappings, banditry, and the daily erosion of trust in our national institutions. As the debate on decentralizing policing intensifies—with President Bola Tinubu rightly urging constitutional amendments for state police—we assert unequivocally: State police is not the answer. Regional police, modeled on the successful architecture of 1955–1966, is the minimum requirement for meaningful reform," the statement said.

Further justifying the call for regional police, the Igbo union said the era of regional government was the best in Nigeria's history.

"Nigeria's most progressive, productive, and peaceful era occurred between 1955 and 1966, when the Northern, Western, and Eastern Regions operated with substantial autonomy—including their own regional police forces. Indigenous officers policed familiar terrain, spoke local languages, and drew on deep community knowledge. This system fostered rapid development unmatched to this day: world-class universities, booming agriculture, industrial growth, and competitive regional governance that drove national prosperity.

"The centralization imposed after 1966 dismantled this effective model, replacing it with a distant, overstretched national force often commanded by officers alien to the regions they serve. The absurdity of dispatching a Fulani police commissioner—answerable solely to Abuja—to police Ibibio land, Igbo communities, or any unfamiliar cultural landscape is not just inefficient; it is a recipe for alienation, mistrust, and escalated insecurity.

"Effective policing worldwide relies on local knowledge—language, customs, geography, and relationships—not remote directives from the center," the statement added.

Outlining the advantages of regional police, the union said it would empower officers indigenous to their geopolitical zones to lead security efforts with cultural competence and community trust, align policing with Nigeria's natural federal structure (e.g., six zones: North West, North East, North Central, South East, South West, South-South) and prevent the fragmentation and abuse risks inherent in 36+ state-level forces.

The statement added that regional police would also provide built-in checks against any single governor weaponizing police against political opponents or citizens, and revive the competitive, development-driven federalism that once made Nigeria a beacon of progress in Africa.

The statement added: "We commend recent expert voices—including police reform analysts—who have echoed that regional formations offer a "balanced, realistic bridge to true federalism," enhancing responsiveness without the chaos of hyper-decentralization. President Tinubu's push for state police, while well-intentioned, diverts precious time and resources from this more viable path. Regionalism worked before; it can work again.

"Let it be clear: Regional police is the minimum threshold for Nigeria to have any realistic chance of reversing insecurity and rebuilding unity. Failure to restore genuine regional autonomy in security and governance leaves self-determination as the only remaining option for peoples who can no longer endure systemic failure."

Ndi Igbo Worldwide Union called on President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to prioritize constitutional amendments enabling regional police structures over piecemeal state-level experiments.

The union equally urged all patriotic Nigerians to demand a return to the proven federal principles that once united and propelled the country forward.

"The time for cosmetic fixes is over. Nigeria must return to the regions—or risk losing the federation altogether," the statement stressed.

Update news