Former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, has warned that introducing state police close to the next election cycle could worsen Nigeria’s security and political challenges if proper constitutional safeguards are not put in place.

Odinkalu said although there is broad agreement that Nigeria’s current policing structure needs to be decentralised, creating state police without clear legal, institutional and transitional arrangements could expose the country to serious abuse by political actors.

He made the remarks during an interview with Charles Aniagolu on ARISE News Prime Time, following the ARISE News National Town Hall on State Police and National Security held in Abuja.

The town hall brought together political leaders, security officials, constitutional experts and policy thinkers to discuss whether state police could provide a lasting response to Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.

However, Odinkalu cautioned that the debate should not be reduced to political control of security structures. According to him, policing should primarily be understood as a law enforcement institution rather than a political instrument.

“In this entire conversation about state police, you have not heard the most important expression that you would hear if you were discussing policing in a civilised country: law enforcement,” he said.

He argued that the current debate appears to focus more on the political use of policing powers than on strengthening justice, accountability and the rule of law.

According to him, police reform cannot be discussed outside the justice system because policing is directly connected to investigation, prosecution, courts and the protection of citizens’ rights.

Odinkalu also distinguished between policing and internal security, noting that under Nigeria’s current system, internal security falls largely under the State Security Service, also known as the Department of State Services, while the police are expected to focus on law enforcement.

“Policing under the Police Act is about law enforcement. It is forensic and clinical. The State Security Service deals with internal security, which relies heavily on intelligence,” he said.

The human rights advocate said any meaningful reform must first address the relationship between the police, ministries of justice and the wider justice system.

He further noted that Nigeria must decide the kind of policing model it wants to adopt, whether consensual policing, coercive policing or a continuation of the colonial-style policing structure inherited from the past.

Odinkalu said Nigeria’s existing policing system still carries traces of colonial policing, which was designed more for control than for citizen protection.

He maintained that while decentralisation is necessary, the timing and structure of state police must be carefully handled to prevent governors from turning such institutions into tools for political enforcement.

“I am not opposed to decentralisation. There is consensus that we have to decentralise. The current model is not acceptable,” he said.

He, however, challenged political leaders to give Nigerians a clear assurance that state police would not be created or deployed before the conclusion of the next general election.

“You cannot deploy state police in the context of an active election season. That should not even be open to debate,” Odinkalu warned.

He said the absence of such a guarantee from politicians raises concerns about the real intention behind the push for state police.

According to him, if state police is introduced without strong safeguards, it could revive the negative legacy of old native authority police structures, which were widely criticised for being used to intimidate political opponents instead of protecting citizens.

Odinkalu called for a broader national conversation on police reform, justice administration and the relationship between the Nigerian state and its citizens before any new policing structure is introduced.

He stressed that state police must not be treated as a quick political solution but as a serious constitutional reform that requires careful planning, accountability and public trust.