The Director of Gregory University, Uturu, Abia State, Alhaji Yahaya Ndu, has called for the creation of a community-driven state policing system rooted in Nigeria’s traditional institutions, arguing that the country’s current security architecture is disconnected from the people it is meant to protect.
Ndu made the call on Tuesday while speaking at the First Daily Sixth Anniversary National Dialogue on Security held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.
He said policing was not a foreign concept introduced by the British, stressing that communities across Nigeria had effective indigenous security systems before colonial rule.
“Before the white man came, there was no society in the world that did not have a way of policing itself. Britain did not bring the idea of policing to us,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria’s existing police structure is elitist and lacks roots in the country’s traditional values and community systems.
“The police we already have is elitist and has no roots in our culture. There is a need to introduce something new,” he said.
Ndu proposed a state police system managed by traditional rulers, youth leaders, women leaders and religious leaders, rather than political office holders, arguing that these groups understand the realities of insecurity because they are directly affected by it.
“We need a state police controlled by traditional rulers, youth leaders, women leaders and religious leaders.
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These are the people who have suffered insecurity. They are the ones who should control the state police,” he said.
He, however, clarified that the proposed structure should complement the existing Nigeria Police Force instead of replacing it.
He further recommended that state police formations should work closely with one another across geopolitical zones while extending their operations to local government and community levels to improve intelligence sharing and rapid response.
The university director also advocated grassroots security conferences beginning from community level, where residents would identify local security challenges and recommend practical solutions for implementation by government.
According to him, there is a disconnect between authorities responsible for security and the ordinary citizens who bear the brunt of insecurity.
“There is no interface between those in authority and the people who are being kidnapped. Those suffering insecurity know what needs to be done, and we must create a platform for their voices to be heard,” he said.
Ndu added that Nigeria must rediscover and strengthen its indigenous governance and security systems, insisting that addressing insecurity requires a holistic approach that reconnects government with local communities.