CENTRALISATION AND CONTROL OF THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE: REVISITING THE DEBATE ON STATE POLICE

Abstract

Underlying the constitutional obligation of government to provide public safety and guarantee security of property is the social contractual relationship between the government and the people of Nigeria. In recent times, the type and extent of security threats facing the nation pose a challenge for political actors and the Police institution on the control of the Nigeria Police Force, especially, in view of its monolithic configuration and centralised system of control. Crime control and fear of crime have become a great concern to the public, and therefore, the question of the tier of government that is vested with powers to establish the Force and or determine its control makes a revisiting of the debate on establishment of State Police one of utmost constitutional and policy topicality. In view of the centralisation of the Nigeria Police Force by the Constitution, the paper examines the authority, Federal or State government, which has ultimate control over the Force. It will show the significance of the use of the authority of control of the Force, and contribute to the debate on the desirability or otherwise of a centralised monolithic Federal Government-run Police Force. To this end, the relevant historical antecedents to the development of the Nigeria Police Force, its structural