{"id":119795,"date":"2025-06-16T19:45:34","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T18:45:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=119795"},"modified":"2025-06-16T19:45:34","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T18:45:34","slug":"igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/","title":{"rendered":"IGP, State Assemblies differ on State Police"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Tracy Moses<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly, Hon. Debo Ogundoyin, on Monday offered contrasting perspectives on the ongoing call for the creation of state police.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While Egbetokun emphasized the need to strengthen and adequately fund the existing Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to fulfill its constitutional mandate, Ogundoyin argued that the country\u2019s security challenges demand a multi-tiered policing approach, including the establishment of state police forces.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The two leaders spoke during a constitutional review dialogue on national security architecture, themed \u201cNigeria\u2019s Peace and Security: The Constitutional Imperative,\u201d organized by the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review in partnership with the Office of the National Security Adviser.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Inspector General cited Section 214(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which establishes the Nigeria Police Force as the sole police entity permitted by law, stating: \u201cThere shall be a police force for Nigeria\u2026 and no other police force shall be established for the federation or any part thereof.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also referenced Section 215(1), which vests the operational command and leadership of the force in the office of the Inspector General of Police, appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Nigeria Police Council.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cThese provisions highlight the centralized nature of policing in our country,\u201d Egbetokun explained. \u201cWhile this centralization provides legal consistency, it has not translated into effective decentralization in operational terms, hindering our capacity to adequately secure a nation as vast and diverse as Nigeria.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Police Chief noted that Nigeria&#8217;s security environment has grown increasingly complex, citing insurgency in the Northeast, banditry and kidnapping in the North-West and North-Central, secessionist violence in the Southeast, and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea as examples of the growing threats confronting the nation.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He argued that several gaps within the 1999 Constitution limit the effectiveness of the NPF and other security agencies, including the absence of clear frameworks for intelligence sharing, joint command structures, community policing, and border security.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cThese structural gaps call for a holistic recalibration of our national security framework,\u201d Egbetokun stressed. \u201cWithout clearly defined operational command and coordination mechanisms, we risk undermining our response capabilities.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the debate over state police, Egbetokun acknowledged the arguments in favor of local policing, including quicker response times and improved community engagement. However, he warned that Nigeria is not yet institutionally or politically ready for decentralized police powers.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cThere are real concerns over the potential abuse of police powers at the state level, the inadequate financial capacity of most states to sustain their own forces, and the risks of fragmentation in command and intelligence frameworks,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rather than fragmenting authority, Egbetokun recommended that reforms focus on enhancing the operational capacity of the NPF through increased funding, greater autonomy, and the establishment of state and community policing structures within the existing federal framework. He also advocated for standardized training, recruitment, and oversight to ensure coherence.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, Speaker Ogundoyin maintained that the creation of state police is necessary to address the peculiar security challenges experienced across Nigeria\u2019s 36 states.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cAs leaders of state legislatures, we are on the frontlines of the nation\u2019s security struggles and know where the shoe pinches,\u201d Ogundoyin said. \u201cThe reality is that our current centralized policing structure has become overstretched.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He described the security situation in Nigeria\u2014ranging from insurgency and terrorism to herder-farmer conflicts\u2014as dire and widespread, affecting food security, public safety, and economic stability.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to him, the Conference of Speakers believes the establishment of state police is not just a political aspiration but a patriotic step towards localized, accountable, and efficient security delivery.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cWe understand the concerns around potential misuse, inter-agency conflicts, and operational challenges,\u201d he acknowledged. \u201cHowever, with proper constitutional safeguards, defined command structures, legislative oversight, and inter-agency coordination, these issues can be addressed.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ogundoyin added that many state governments already support federal security agencies within their jurisdictions and therefore possess the experience to manage localized police formations responsibly.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He further called for stronger intelligence-sharing mechanisms, improved training and welfare for security personnel, and robust legal tools to tackle evolving threats like cybercrime and terrorism.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cWe are confident that this legislative dialogue will lay the foundation for a more responsive and resilient national security framework,\u201d Ogundoyin concluded. \u201cThe Conference of Speakers is fully committed to supporting constitutional amendments that promote peace, restore trust, and secure a better future for our people.\u201d<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Tracy Moses The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly, Hon. Debo Ogundoyin, on Monday offered contrasting&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":118140,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>IGP, State Assemblies differ on State Police - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"IGP, State Assemblies differ on State Police - Pointblank News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Tracy Moses The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly, Hon. Debo Ogundoyin, on Monday offered contrasting&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pointblank News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-16T18:45:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IG-Kayode-Egbetokun.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1364\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Our Reporter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Our Reporter\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Our Reporter\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c\"},\"headline\":\"IGP, State Assemblies differ on State Police\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-16T18:45:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/\"},\"wordCount\":739,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IG-Kayode-Egbetokun.jpeg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/\",\"name\":\"IGP, State Assemblies differ on State Police - Pointblank News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IG-Kayode-Egbetokun.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-16T18:45:34+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IG-Kayode-Egbetokun.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IG-Kayode-Egbetokun.jpeg\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":1364},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"IGP, State Assemblies differ on State Police\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/\",\"name\":\"Pointblank News\",\"description\":\"Just the news\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c\",\"name\":\"Our Reporter\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Our Reporter\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"IGP, State Assemblies differ on State Police - Pointblank News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"IGP, State Assemblies differ on State Police - Pointblank News","og_description":"By Tracy Moses The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly, Hon. Debo Ogundoyin, on Monday offered contrasting&hellip;","og_url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/","og_site_name":"Pointblank News","article_published_time":"2025-06-16T18:45:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2048,"height":1364,"url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IG-Kayode-Egbetokun.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Our Reporter","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Our Reporter","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/"},"author":{"name":"Our Reporter","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c"},"headline":"IGP, State Assemblies differ on State Police","datePublished":"2025-06-16T18:45:34+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/"},"wordCount":739,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IG-Kayode-Egbetokun.jpeg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/","url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/","name":"IGP, State Assemblies differ on State Police - Pointblank News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IG-Kayode-Egbetokun.jpeg","datePublished":"2025-06-16T18:45:34+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IG-Kayode-Egbetokun.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IG-Kayode-Egbetokun.jpeg","width":2048,"height":1364},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/igp-state-assemblies-differ-on-state-police\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"IGP, State Assemblies differ on State Police"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website","url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/","name":"Pointblank News","description":"Just the news","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c","name":"Our Reporter","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Our Reporter"},"url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119795"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119795\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119796,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119795\/revisions\/119796"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}