Ogun State Governor and Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum, Dapo Abiodun, has said Nigeria needs an additional 554,353 personnel to adequately staff the proposed state police system. He disclosed this on Thursday at a colloquium marking the posthumous 70th birthday of former Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State.
Abiodun said data from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, based on the United Nations ratio of one police officer to 414 citizens, indicated that the country would need about 184,784 recruits annually over three years. He argued that policing responsibilities could no longer remain overly centralised at the federal level, stressing that local knowledge of communities, languages and terrain was essential for effective security.
The governor warned that differences in states’ financial capacity could undermine the proposed reform. He noted that Lagos, Rivers, the Federal Capital Territory, Ogun and Enugu accounted for 61.6 per cent of internally generated revenue, while 76 per cent of states generated below the national average of N13,600 per person. He called for a constitutional state police take-off fund featuring equal-access grants and additional support based on need.
Abiodun said a Presidential Working Group was developing operational plans, financial models and accountability frameworks for state policing. He stressed that recruitment must be transparent and properly vetted, while officers should receive training in investigations, lawful arrests, evidence handling, conflict management and the protection of vulnerable people. He also called for adequate salaries, equipment, medical care, insurance and support for officers’ families.
He cautioned against political interference and warned that private contributions to security funding must not buy influence over investigations or preferential treatment. According to him, insecurity threatens investment, agriculture, infrastructure and economic growth, making effective policing essential to Nigeria’s development. He maintained that state police could strengthen both public safety and economic security.
Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa said Akeredolu’s advocacy for state policing had progressed from a regional campaign to a major national policy and constitutional issue. He recalled the late governor’s role in establishing the Western Nigeria Security Network, known as Amotekun, on January 9, 2020, and called for a system that balances local responsiveness with national unity and safeguards against abuse.
Former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi and DAWN Commission Director-General Seye Oyeleye also paid tribute to Akeredolu and backed further action on state policing. Oyeleye said the debate had shifted from whether the system was necessary to how it would be funded, equipped, regulated and protected against political abuse, describing the issue as a national concern rather than a regional agenda.
