State police driven by personal interest, a recipe for disaster – Ex-AIG Bolanta
By Muyideen Aliyu, Ilorin
A former Assistant Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Baba Adisa Bolanta, has observed that those calling for the decentralisation of the nation’s policing system are driven by personal interest rather than collective responsibility for the country’s development.
Bolanta made this known while speaking during an interview in Ilorin. He opposed the moves to establish a state police in Nigeria, describing it as “a recipe for disaster,” and further argued that the failure of policing in Nigeria is not a structural problem but one of poor funding, inadequate equipment, and undue political interference.
The retired police boss, who served as Commissioner of Police in Oyo, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Imo States, as well as Commandant of the Police Academy, Kano, explained that the solution lies in properly funding and reforming the existing federal police structures while embracing community policing—not decentralising the force.
“To me, state police is a recipe for disaster. You know why I say that? It is not the centralised nature that is the challenge of the force, but rather deliberate underfunding, undue political interference in the running of the police, and the lack of adequate motivation are responsible for the poor performance of the police,” he said.
He recalled his experiences managing security in volatile states, questioned the motive of those agitating for state police, and dismissed the notion that state governments are better positioned to fund the police, stressing that some state governments hardly survive without federal subvention and struggle to pay workers’ salaries.
He stated: “Comparing Nigeria with countries like the USA or the UK is out of place. Those countries have a politically sophisticated population and an established, respected legal system that nobody, no matter their status, can disobey without consequences.”
According to him, “States should not be saddled with the burden of funding a complex security outfit like the police,” adding that “almost 70 per cent of policemen in most states are indigenes, meaning local representation is not the core issue in Nigeria’s policing.”
He remarked that 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, creating incentives and improving welfare among others to boost morale.
“My first posting was in 1982 to Ekpoma Police Station in the then Bendel State. The station had two Land Rovers and a lorry. While the Land Rovers were for patrol, the lorry was used to transport men to their areas of deployment. Monthly provisions for fuel, diesel, and stationery were guaranteed, enabling efficiency,” he recalled.
“The way you make your bed is how you lie on it. So, to whom less is given, less should be expected. That is the situation with security in Nigeria,” he added, stressing that “the community policing model being promoted is often misunderstood.”
“Community policing is just a concept. It means getting the community involved in policing—not that you are bringing them to actually wear uniforms. But they know what you are doing when you provide security for them, and they give you input,” he explained.
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.
“I will not agree with those who say even if you give a policeman one million naira, he will still go and take a bribe. No, that is not correct. If you fund them very well, they will do their job honestly,” he said.