Retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, Adisa Bolanta, has strongly opposed the ongoing move to establish state police in the country and describing it as a recipe for disaster.
Bolanta, who spoke during an interview with journalists in Ilorin, Kwara State, argued that the failure of policing in Nigeria is not a structural problem but one of poor funding, inadequate equipment, and undue political interference.
He alleged that those calling for the decentralisation of the nation’s policing were driven by personal interest.
The retired police chief, who served as Commissioner of Police in Oyo, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Imo States, as well as Commandant of the Police Academy in Kano, maintained that the solution lies in properly funding and reforming the existing federal police structure while embracing community policing—not decentralising the force.
Bolanta, who recalled his vast experience managing security in volatile states, questioned the motive of those agitating for state police.
He dismissed the notion that state governments are better positioned to fund the police, pointing out that some states can hardly survive without federal subvention and often struggle to pay workers’ salaries.
According to him, such states should not be saddled with the burden of funding a complex security outfit like the NPF. He also noted that almost 70 percent of policemen in most states are indigenes, meaning local representation is not the core issue in Nigeria’s policing.
Instead of creating a new layer of police, the retired AIG called for a return to the basics of proper funding and enhanced logistics for the Nigeria Police Force.
He clarified that the community policing model being promoted is often misunderstood.
Reflecting on his experience supervising elections in Sokoto and Rivers States, Bolanta identified undue political interference and poor welfare for police officers on election duty as major threats to electoral integrity.
He maintained that police officers’ loyalty remains intact when they are well-funded and properly catered for before an election.
On general insecurity, he reiterated that security is everyone’s business and called for greater cooperation from the public, urging citizens to trust the police with timely information.
Bolanta also advised youths to dress decently to avoid unnecessary harassment from security agents.
