Nigerians have grappled with devastating insecurity in the past 10 years, such that threatens the lives and property of citizens daily. It seems that with every breaking day, we are greeted with horrid news of some daring kidnapping attempt, ransom demand, or mass killings in the rural communities in the North-West and middle-belt States, due to the unresolved farmer/community-herder conflicts; or banditry in theregion. No part of the country seems safe, as even the nation’s commercial and urban centres – Lagos and Abuja, which have long been the haven of the elites,have witnessed spates of daring kidnapping attempts.
In the light of these dastardly acts, there has been an unrelenting call for the creation of State police to combat insecurity. The state governors have long argued that as the chief security officer for the State, the present Federal Government controlled Police Force, handicaps their capacity to respond to security threats in the State. Also, it is in the spirit of true federalism to reduce the power centralized at the federal level. In 2020, the southwestern governors created a security network known as Amotekun to curb growing insecurity in the region posed by herder-farmer clashes and reprisal attacks. The effectiveness of Amotekun is yet to be seen, as they operate in the shadows of the regular police force.
The argument for the creation of State police, simply put, is that the State is more equipped to deal with andrespond to its security needs better than the Federal Government if allowed to. The burning question remains, does State Police ensure the effectiveness of policing? Or are we swapping federal law enforcement inefficiency for the State? However, the central pointof this writeup is not whether we need State policing, or its merits and demerits; but to rethink the essence of our policing and how to properly set up an effectivepolice force, while ensuring that we can build trust, and improve public safety, competence, and legitimacy amongst the populace.
If we did a snap poll of law enforcement agencies, we would not be surprised to find out that the Nigerian Police Force ranks amongst the most disliked and distrusted bodies, particularly, as they not so recently,were the object of the #ENDSARS protest. What wasthe group of the protest? Simply, the Nigerian Police Force had become oppressive and predatory to the people it was supposed to protect. It is not lost why the Nigerian Police Force became alien to the people, as there was/is no connection between the protector and the protected. As a multicultural and multiethnic nation, we must begin to think of our differences and factor our diversity into our law enforcement and policing. Hence why municipal policing is the way forward.
Municipal policing in this context, refers to the protection of lives and property by members/personsindigenous to the local community or local area under a defined legal policing structure. Hence, every community/town under a local government will be enabled under the law to set up local police units, which will be under the training and supervision of the Local Government, and ultimately under the StatePolice commissions established for such purposes. This type of policing structure ensures that law enforcementis at the grassroots level and there is more familiarity with the members of the police force, which will lead to better intelligence gathering and public safety.
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It should be noted that local/municipal policing is not new to Nigeria, and was the system under which towns, villages, and cities in pre-colonial, and early colonial times protected, and policed themselves for centuries before the establishment of the modern Nigerian State; it is in our interest, with the spate of insecurity, to revert to it. With the frequent occurrenceof farmer/community-herder conflicts in several of our rural and border communities and the shortage of Nigerian Police outfits in these hinterland areas, the need for local & community policing is urgent. If established, the indigenes of these towns, when trainedand equipped, have a vested interest in the protection of their communities from external threats, which seek to destroy their lives and livelihood.
We have seen community policing where locals are integrated with the regular security Forces, such as the several efforts by Nigerian security agencies to incorporate civilian locals/indigenes into the security architecture in the insecurity-ravaged areas i.e. Civilian Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta & Borno; and using local hunters to conduct daring raids into terrorist hideouts in the southwest and middle belt states. However, we must codify the municipal police structure into law to recognize the ability of indigenes to protect themselves and their towns and villages.
Municipal policing is the revival of our traditional institutions, such as village chiefs, Emirs, Kings, and traditional rulers who presently, are fixtures with no real impact or power in the communities. It is in the interest of the government to empower community heads to take up the protection of their communities using pooled resources and intelligence to their benefit.
How can municipal policing be achieved?
The first step on the road to municipal police is to devolve the federal powers of the Nigerian police forceto the local governments via a constitutional amendment. The primary amendments are sections 214 and 215 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which prohibits the creation of any other police force in Nigeria. Then, the establishment of State legal regimes allowing for the creation, and autonomy of local police forces, under the control of the independent State police commissions. Depending on the size of the areas, the local police force can be established along existing community boundaries to allow for familiarity of the police force with the locals/indigenes. The training and mobilization of the police force shall be the responsibility of State police commissions established in the State, but no command shall rest with the State government or the Commissions. The local police force is also to be staffed from the local area with the concurrence of thetraditional rulers of the community who understand the terrain where they operate and gain the legitimacy of the people.
Checks and balances are necessary to ensure that local police units do not become the tool of executive power, hence, placing them under the purview of the judicial magistrate; or local government councils, who are elected representatives of the people from the various constituencies under the Local Government. Funding of the police from the Federal government through the police commissions established in the States to supervise the authority of the local police, thereby removing any tool for wanton control or executive rascality by State governors, which is a major concern with State police.
The jurisdiction of municipal police differs from state to state and depends on whether the police force is in an urban or rural area. The authority of the local police would exclude specialized investigations andprosecution of serious criminal offences outside of the territory of the municipality; but include prevention ofbreach of peace, courthouse security, patrol etc.
The benefit of such municipal police is also the quick reaction to security threats posed to the operating area,particularly, as we have read reports of the Nigerian Police force being undermanned to respond to threats as they occur.
The role of the federal police, while reduced, remains effective. The federal police will be responsible for the national security investigations, enforcement of federal law; prosecution of offences committed across state boundaries; and protection of federal government assets and personnel. The key to security is to localize it.
The benefits of municipal policing include better community relations between the people with law enforcement officers; familiarity with the operating environment; reduced operating cost, as police force in rural areas can consist of 3 – 4 persons; and less bureaucracy.
In conclusion, while this writeup is a skeletal assessment of how local/municipal policing can be achieved, it is a step in the right direction to allow for greater thought into how to establish and implement such ideas to combat prevailing insecurity, which range from farmer-herder crisis, banditry and other petty crime.
