Former Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP), Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, has called on the Federal Government to decentralise policing by moving it from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list.
Obono-Obla’s call follows earlier remarks made in December 2025 by the Obong of Calabar, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu V, who advocated the creation of a state police system. The traditional ruler had also commended President Bola Tinubu for indicating that state policing could soon be implemented as part of efforts to address rising insecurity nationwide.
In a statement, the lawyer urged the empowerment of state and local governments to take direct responsibility for their security challenges.
According to him, decentralised policing would allow for faster, more responsive, and more effective security measures, rather than relying solely on directives from the national police headquarters or the President as Commander-in-Chief.
He argued that insecurity in Nigeria is essentially a local problem that should be tackled through cooperation between local government areas and state authorities. Obono-Obla noted that a poor understanding of federalism has fuelled the mistaken belief that the President in Abuja must personally handle security issues in communities far removed from the capital, leading to excessive centralisation, political interference, and the manipulation of insecurity.
The former SPIP chairman cited Cross River State as an example of effective local policing, urging other states to learn from its experience.
He explained that before the current administration of Governor Bassey Otu Edet, kidnapping had become rampant in Cross River State, with Calabar reportedly recording over 20 cases daily. However, the situation improved significantly following the appointment of a retired military general as State Security Adviser and substantial government investment in security infrastructure, which drastically reduced kidnapping and restored peace.
Obono-Obla said the Cross River model shows that security challenges are best addressed through local initiatives rather than waiting for federal intervention, which is often slowed by politics.
He added that Nigeria’s federal system requires states to take ownership of their security responsibilities, stressing that decentralised policing would enable states to act decisively, protect communities more effectively, and break the cycle of insecurity. He urged states, particularly Edo, to emulate Cross River’s approach, noting that strong leadership and adequate investment can make localised security solutions successful.