Aare Onakakanfo Gani Adams Argues Decentralized Policing is “Urgently Needed” to Confront Worsening Insecurity.
The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, has thrown his strong support behind the establishment of state police, arguing that decentralized policing is urgently needed to effectively confront Nigeria’s worsening insecurity. Speaking in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Adams confirmed that he “totally agrees” with the Southern Governors’ Forum, which recently reiterated its call for state police as a critical component of national policing restructuring. The Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) leader also commended the South-West governors for being proactive on this issue.
Adams argued that support for the initiative should be universal, stating: “Anybody who loves this country will not disagree with state police, considering the situation we have.” Addressing concerns that state governors might misuse state police against political rivals, Adams insisted that such fears should not prevent the nation from prioritizing security. He asserted: “Let us first talk about the protection of life and property, which is the primary responsibility of any government. Partisan politics is secondary.”
Adams argued that a major flaw in the current security structure is the deployment of officers unfamiliar with the communities they serve. He stressed that effective policing requires personnel drawn from local environments who understand the terrain, history, and people. Adams explained: “If people in the community are not allowed to police and secure their area, bringing someone unfamiliar with the environment will make the job very difficult.” Citing his hometown of Arigidi-Akoko in Ondo State, Adams noted that residents possess essential knowledge of the community’s history, forest routes, and criminal elements, saying, “We know our forests. We know where intruders enter… Community members can provide intelligence that outsiders cannot.” He concluded by emphasizing that Nigeria’s three-tier system of government cannot rely solely on a centralized policing structure.
The Aare Onakakanfo insisted that effective security requires that all three tiers of Nigeria’s government—federal, state, and local—be permitted to establish their own policing frameworks. He strongly criticized the reliance on a single structure: “There is no way you can run a country with three tiers of governance but only one structure of policing.” He concluded that without this decentralization, “you cannot achieve effective security.”
Demands for state policing are intensifying nationwide, driven by security concerns and supported by advocates like the Southern Governors’ Forum, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, and security experts. Governors stress that the centralized Nigerian Police Force is overstretched and slow to respond to local threats. The rise of groups like Amotekun underscores the need for constitutional restructuring, which advocates argue is vital for community involvement and quicker response times, despite fears of political misuse. Gani Adams’ comments reinforce the urgency. This push is also backed by President Bola Tinubu, who has already called on the National Assembly to review laws to permit state police forces.
This directive was contained in a statement issued on November 26 by the President’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, as part of a declaration of a nationwide security emergency. President Tinubu stated: “I call on the National Assembly to begin reviewing our laws to allow states that require state police to establish them.” The President further committed that his “administration will support state governments that have set up security outfits to safeguard their people from terrorists bent on disrupting our national peace.”
