WorldStage– Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, the former Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP), has called for urgent decentralization of the Nigerian police.
He made the call in a statement he issued on Sunday following current escalated attacks by bandits and terrorists across the country.
Obono-Obla urged the federal government to remove policing from the Exclusive Legislative List and move it to the Concurrent List to empower sub-national governments.
He advocated for both state and local governments to take full ownership of their security challenges, ensuring that responses are swift and tailored to local needs rather than depending solely on national headquarters or the Commander-in-Chief.
He cited recent improvements in Cross River State under Governor Bassey Otu as a successful case study of localized security solutions, noting that strategic investments and local leadership significantly reduced.
Addressing insecurity, he argued that Nigeria’s over-centralized policing model is a major reason for the spike in banditry, terrorism, and ransom kidnapping, as a nation of over 230 million cannot be effectively policed from a single headquarters in Abuja.
His call aligns with recent indications from President Bola Tinubu in his 2026 New Year message, where he reaffirmed his belief that a decentralized policing system with appropriate safeguards is critical to addressing Nigeria’s security challenges.
In December 2025, the Obong of Calabar, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu V, had called for the establishment of state police system.
He expressed happiness with President Bola Tinubu for giving indication that state policing may soon come into force as a further way to tackle increasing insecurity in the country.
