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Historian, Bukar Usman, has urged Nigeria to prioritise the establishment of local police rooted in community knowledge rather than concentrating solely on the creation of state police, arguing that effective security depends more on local intelligence than on the level at which policing is organised.
Speaking at the ARISE NEWS Townhall on State Police, Usman said his advocacy for local policing was not new but dated back to his childhood experiences in Biu, Borno State, where he witnessed the effectiveness of the Native Authority Police, adding that decades of experience in security administration had reinforced his conviction that community-based policing remains the most practical solution to Nigeria’s security challenges. “I have been an advocate for local police, not necessarily state police. Local police.”
Usman explained that his position was informed by both personal experience and years spent working in security administration, stressing that he had consistently championed local policing long before the current national conversation on state police gathered momentum. “My position as an advocate for local police, not necessarily state police, dates back to my experience as a boy in the 1950s.”
He argued that Nigeria’s constitutional and legal framework already provides adequate structures for managing security at the national, state and local levels, suggesting that the real problem lies in implementation rather than institutional design. “The constitution is very clear as far as I’m concerned, there is nothing wrong with the structure in terms of security.”
According to Usman, the critical questions are whether constitutionally recognised security bodies have been properly constituted, whether they meet regularly and whether they submit reports to the appropriate authorities as required. “My question is, are all these bodies properly set up? That is constituted. Do they meet regularly? Do they submit their reports to the authorities, higher authorities?”
He maintained that state governors already possess constitutional powers to direct police commissioners, pointing to provisions in previous and current constitutions which, he said, clearly spell out those powers. “Go to section 213 and 215 of the old one and the new one. You will find all the powers required by a state governor to give instructions to the police commissioner and the police.”
Usman noted that the constitution only limits such directives where they are unlawful, insisting that elected chief executives are already bound by their oath of office to act fairly. “The only provisor is that, in case he is giving a not lawful direction, he says, police, I think this needs to be cleared with the higher authority.”
“State executives, or even chief executives, swear by oath when they take office that they will treat people, all manner of people, fairly.”
While acknowledging concerns about political abuse of policing powers, he insisted that such risks stem from human conduct rather than constitutional deficiencies.
“At the end of the day, it’s a human factor.”
Usman identified local knowledge as the missing element in Nigeria’s security architecture, arguing that security personnel cannot effectively operate in unfamiliar environments without community intelligence. “You cannot operate effectively without local knowledge.”
He questioned why many communities had become ungoverned spaces despite the presence of people with intimate knowledge of the terrain. “Why should that arise when even ordinary hunters know in and out of whatever territory exists?”
Drawing an analogy, he said officers deployed into unfamiliar areas without local understanding would struggle to perform effectively.
“You take me there to a riverine area. As you drop me into water, that is where I will sink. I don’t know. I can’t swim.”
Usman argued that if the various security structures already provided for in the constitution functioned effectively, emerging threats could be identified and addressed before developing into national security crises. “If all these bodies spread out in the Constitution are working properly, there is no reason or no way you cannot pick issues at the local level before they arise and become a problem at the national level.”
He called for constitutional security bodies to be properly constituted, meet consistently and submit reports without political interference. “Let those bodies spread out in the Constitution be properly constituted. Let them meet regularly. Let them submit reports regularly to the higher authorities without constraint to legal and political affiliation.”
Although he reiterated his preference for local police, Usman said he had no objection if Nigeria eventually adopted state police, maintaining that success would ultimately depend on those entrusted with exercising the powers. “Mind you, I argue on local police, not necessarily state police. But if it comes to state police, no problem.”
He concluded by insisting that misuse of policing powers would always remain a matter of individual conscience rather than constitutional design. “If you use or misuse a political instrument, it is you and your conscience. That is all.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
