Security Analyst, Tony Nyiam says deeper reforms are required to address corruption and failures of the national security architecture, regarding President Bola Tinubu’s initiative to introduce state police in Nigeria is a progressive step.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, Nyiam reflected on his experiences both in Nigeria and abroad, highlighting lessons from policing systems in countries like Scotland, India, Australia, and Canada while also emphasising that state-based security forces must complement existing structures, not be undermined by systemic corruption.
“The existing national security structure is a compromised one. Because over time, it was serving a hegemonic power. It wasn’t serving the people.”
Nyiam explained that in countries such as Scotland, police are civilian services managed locally and independently. “For example, my second home, which is in Edinburgh, Scotland, the police, it’s local government-based. It’s not a federal police, it’s not a national police, it’s managed and funded by the Scottish, So in effect, the police, most remember, is a civilian service, it’s not a military force.”
While praising the president’s move toward state police, Nyiam warned against relying solely on the initiative. “While welcoming what the president is doing by going towards state police, that does not limit the gaps in our national security architecture. I must say, I commend the president for being the first to have made these moves.”
He stressed the need for complementary expert committees to oversee operational aspects. “Now, I think that question means that I’m suggesting that in addition to the police committee, there’s a need for policing experts committee, which is, why is the committee by under the IGP will deal with the operational part of policing?”
Discussing funding and sustainability, Nyiam noted that, “So the implication of your question is that, if an entity cannot fund its own police force, is that entity qualified to be a state? That is the issue.”
Nyiam highlighted the dangers of introducing state police into a system already riddled with corruption. “So should we tackle it? Because if we have state police without tackling the complicity, we’re not going anywhere.”
He reflected on accountability models abroad,“You see, in a place like Edimbo, for example,the people fire the police commissioner if he’s not working. But in Nigeria, locals cannot fire their police commissioner. So the system we have now encourages corruption.”
Nyaim also raised concerns about overlapping jurisdictions. “That’s why, that is one of the flaws I find that the IGPs should not be the only one to set up the committee. There should be a complementary committee, which is to address the issue of, because we’re now going to have the federal police and I’m not sure of the CIP. We need a committee or another committee that addresses how the two forces work.”
Nyiam further discussed how law enforcement in Nigeria suffers from multiple armed institutions.
“Because take, for instance, we have close to 400,000 police officers. 63,000 NSCDC. What’s it called? After you have that, you have many arm-bearing institutions, yearly. Navy, militia, and all of that. And as we speak today, you have Amaterku, which is in the southwest, which has like a cost close to 12,000. Almost every state has one scheme or the other. Zamfara, Ibubea, all of that. All of these people bear the light on them. They like submachine guns, but they bear some arms. So as we speak, we have a multiplicity of arms in the country. Is it not the complicity and bolstering of intelligence that will really crack this problem of insidiousness?
He stressed that for state police to succeed, citizens must have control over appointments. “And also, we should try to trust Nigerians. The issue is that Nigerians have always not been part of the system. And I think if you allow the Nigerians to take responsibility of their police forces, at the moment, Nigerians have no say in their police. They have no say who is appointed the IG. But in this system, the police will be appointed by the people.”
On addressing the complicity within existing security structures, Nyiam added, “Secondly, people sent messages to the security architecture that these people said they are coming. And the criminals get to know about it. It’s still the prime problem. What are we going to be able to do as intelligence troops in our architecture to lead those people? Because I do not believe that the Germans cannot fight this. The conventional, the armed forces is already compromised. The police is already compromised because for a long time, they’ve not been serving the people. The loyalty is always to who is there.”
He concluded that introducing state police is necessary but insufficient. “Now, for example, if you have a policeman all the way from my state, and he’s posted to an innovative place like Pugakot, he’s going there to do business. So what I’m trying to say is that the existing structure is a fraud and a changing one. So you need to let the people, But the problem is, it’s the culture. Sorry? It’s already the culture. So why are you bringing the state police into this cultural architecture that is fraud and changing? They will just continue in that state. So I think that it’s not an issue of corruption. But you have to allow the police forces or services I would use accountable to those they serve.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
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