ABSTRACT
No nation can achieve peace, stability and sustainable development in an environment devoid of security. Insecurity destroys human and social capital and it paralyzes the economy of a country. In Nigeria, the current security challenges facing the country and for which the Nigerian police force now seems overwhelmed, justifies the necessity to now collectively push for the establishment of state police.
Although, the 1999 constitution of Nigeria only provides for a Nigerian police force to be established by the federal government, this research work seeks to critically analyze the nature of insecurity, like terrorism, kidnapping, banditry, armed robbery, ritual killings and politically motivated assassinations, in Nigeria. It explores the causes and effects of these security challenges in Nigeria; and it argues for a legal framework for the establishment of state Police in Nigeria and it makes recommendations that would ensure effective and efficient security of Nigerian citizens through establishment of state police. This essay argues for the necessity of state Police in Nigeria, to help in combating the high level of insecurity bedevilling the country. It seeks to unravel the causes and effects of insecurity in Nigeria and the challenges of the Nigerian Police Force. It appraises and ascertains efforts and limitations encountered in providing adequate security for Nigerians. It highlights the role, functions and challenges of other security agencies in Nigeria, like the State Security Service, the Nigerian armed forces, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, National Agency For the Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp, in helping to redress the alarming rate of insecurity in Nigeria.
The essence of this research is to highlight and support arguments for a legal frame work for the establishment of state police in Nigeria. It makes a comparative analysis between Nigeria and other jurisdictions like the United States of America, India, Brazil, Britain, Australia and Canada where state police exist, and finds that insecurity is at a minimal level in these countries, compared to the high level of insecurity in Nigeria. Therefore, this research work argues that Nigeria should borrow a leaf from these jurisdictions, by amending the 1999 constitution of Nigeria to incorporate provisions in the constitution that would enable State Governments to establish a police force that would help in tackling the high rate of crime and insecurity in the country.
