Former Inspector‑General of Police Mike Okiro says the Nigeria Police Force is badly underfunded, understaffed and ill‑equipped — and that is why calls for state police are growing.
Okiro made the comments on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.
”Nigerian police is badly disorganised, disenchanted, demoralised, unstaffed, ill-equipped, ill-trained.
”You see, if the police are well-equipped, nobody would talk about state police,” Okiro said.
He told the programme funding, not structure, is the central problem. ”Funding is a major problem.
”People talk about state police because federal police have failed. If they succeed, they won’t talk about it,” he added.
Okiro also pointed to the sorry state of police buildings and said manpower shortages have forced many stations to close. ”Funding. Poorly staffed. Most police stations are closed down. No manpower,” he stated.
His remarks come as the national debate over state police heats up after the National Assembly passed a State Police Bill. The idea has split opinions: human rights lawyer Femi Falana warns state police won’t fix insecurity unless root problems like unemployment are tackled, while Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi urges the government to wait until after the 2027 election, fearing misuse against opponents.
Okiro has weighed in before, at times backing decentralisation but also warning Nigeria may not be ready for 36 state forces — he has floated a regional or geopolitical zone model as a possible middle ground.
