Oyo: Accord Party’s Owoseni, security experts advocate constitutional state policing for South-West 

The former Special Adviser to the Oyo state governor and former commissioner of police, Lagos state, Fatai Owoseni, alongside policymakers and academics have raised concern over the worsening security situation in the Country, thereby demanding urgent security reform.

They expressed their concern at a one-day roundtable on “Constitutional State Policing in Nigeria: Opportunities, Challenges and Implementation,” jointly organised by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission and the TETFund Centre of Excellence in Security Management (TECESM), University of Ibadan, Trenchard Hall, on Wednesday.

They renewed calls for the establishment of constitutional state policing in Nigeria, warning that the country’s worsening security situation demands urgent structural reform.

They posited that adoption of state policing as being advocated for by the stakeholders would put an end to the reported cases of banditry, kidnapping and other vices nationwide.

Sharing his wealth of experience as a retired Commissioner of Police and seasoned administrator, he said the adoption of state/community policing as means of checkmating crimes and criminalities is long overdue.

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He said successive administrations in the country have been playing lip service to the issue of security hence the increasing wave of crimes and criminalities nationwide.

Owoseni submitted that previous administrations in the country have inaugurated different forces to complement the efforts of the conventional police but with no serious legal framework to enhance operational efficiency.

Also in his keynote address, Dr. Adesina Ayodele Fagbenro-Byron, Chairman/CEO of Mothergold Consulting Ltd, described the meeting as “one of the most timely and consequential national policy conversations.”

“This conversation is about more than policing. It is about state legitimacy. It is about citizen confidence. It is about whether the Nigerian federation can still effectively discharge the first and most sacred duty of government — the protection of lives, liberties, property and national territorial integrity,” he said.

He warned that insecurity has become a nationwide systemic crisis.

“The South West can no longer afford the illusion of strategic immunity. Geography is no longer a reliable defence against violent extremism. Distance is no longer a security strategy. State policing has become a strategic national imperative.”

“Nigeria must not decentralise dysfunction. If state policing reproduces the limitations of the current structure, we would have multiplied inefficiency rather than solved it,” he warned.

Across the roundtable, discussants including Prof. Akin Alao of the Department of History, Obafemi Awolowo University; Dr Anthony Oyedeji, Programme Officer (Governance), JDPL; Prof. Adesina Afolayan of the Department of Philosophy, University of Ibadan; Dr Temitope Bello of the Department of Political Science, Kola Daisi University; Barr. Mutalubi Ojo Adebayo (SAN), former Attorney-General of Oyo State; CP Fatai Owoseni (Rtd), former Lagos State Commissioner of Police and former Security Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde; and Mr Wale Adeoye, Executive Director of Journalists for Democratic Rights (JODER), highlighted major obstacles and solutions for implementing state policing.

Other emphasised that the legal framework must reflect the unique social, economic and religious diversity of the South West, describing the region as Nigeria’s most plural and economically vibrant zone. 

They stressed that the constitutional amendment process must be pursued vigorously, urging stakeholders to engage members of the National Assembly to set the machinery for state policing in motion.

They identified funding, recruitment, governance and public trust as major challenges. The experts stressed the need for independent recruitment bodies, professional training, monitoring mechanisms and strong oversight structures to prevent political misuse and ensure accountability.

The discussants also called for public sensitisation, community engagement and localisation of security solutions to reflect the needs, language and realities of communities.

They urged state governments to begin institutional reforms immediately by strengthening state Houses of Assembly, creating legal frameworks, establishing state police departments and integrating existing regional initiatives such as Amotekun into a broader security architecture.

Retired security officials at the forum warned that without good governance, effective funding and strong accountability, state policing would fail to deliver results.

In his remarks, Director-General of DAWN, Dr. Seye Oyeleye, said the commission would extend advocacy to federal lawmakers.

“We are not just speaking to ourselves. We cannot continue to do the same thing and expect different results. State police is very imperative.

“You cannot have a police force of 400,000 for about 235 million people. It is not going to work,” he said.

Director of TECESM, Prof. Adeniran Aluko, said the roundtable outcomes would be presented to South West governors.

“This is not an exercise in futility. We are creating a platform where ideas can be harvested and turned into policy,” he said.

In his closing remarks, Fagbenro-Byron urged stakeholders to move from conversation to implementation.

“This is about renewing the Nigerian state, strengthening federalism and restoring citizen confidence. History will judge us not by our intentions, but by our decisions and our speed. Nigeria cannot wait,” he said.

The roundtable ended with a commitment to develop an actionable regional roadmap for constitutional state policing across South West Nigeria.