Nigeria's police reform needs democratic accountability, not just decentralization
Olumide Fred'Adetiba argues in Premium Times that Nigeria's police reform must pair decentralization with strong democratic oversight to avoid merely relocating power to state governors. The debate over state police spans 40+ years, resurfacing as insecurity exposes the centralised Nigeria Police Force's inadequacy for a nation of 200M+ people across 900,000 sq km. While the Executive Bill proposes replacing the Nigeria Police Council with a National Police Council overseeing federal and state police, it weakens civil society representation by removing NUJ and traditional rulers' seats and reducing NHRC reps from two to one. The author insists the National Assembly should retain the House version's inclusive model—adding NBA, NLC, and youth reps—to ensure accountability serves citizens, not political elites. Without broad-based oversight including youth (Nigeria's largest demographic with most police contact), state police risks replicating past abuses under new structures. The core question: Will the National Assembly prioritize genuine people-centred policing or enable elite capture under reform's guise?