The First point to note is that our security architecture was designed by the Military rulers to focus on regime-preservation rather than protection of the citizens. Sadly since our 1999 adventure into democratic rule; this posture has not changed in any way. So the mindset remains.

This is an important point. Our security outfits see preserving and obeying the govt as their only goal. The citizens are just there to be made compliant to preserve the interest of whoever is in power. I would have expected civilian governments to have changed this setup since 1999.

The Constitution states there can be only ONE police force in Nigeria. This provision forbids either the Fed govt or the states to establish a parallel police service in competition to the NPF. This has however not stopped the govt from establishing additional investigatory & enforcement institutions, even though they have not called any of them ‘police’. But successive governments have breached the spirit of the constitution if not the letter by creating several silos of agencies.

By not calling these parallel agencies “police” the govt seem to say they have stayed within the provisions of the law. But with these agencies having powers similar to that of the police, it can be argued that if it looks like a dog, barks like a dog, walks like a dog, then it is a dog.

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/06/11/understanding-the-security-silos-in-nigeria-by-dr-charles-omole/

State Police would go a long way though....