Femi Falana, senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), says state police alone will not end insecurity unless the government addresses unemployment and hunger.
Falana spoke during an interview on Channels Television.
Rejects conspiracy claims
Falana said the push for state police should not be viewed as a political plot ahead of the 2027 elections.
He noted that the debate over decentralising policing has existed for years.
“I don’t think we should criminalise politicians,” he said.
“I don’t want to engage in any conspiracy theory.”
“The debate has been on since we started the campaign for restructuring the country.”
‘Security goes beyond policing’
Furthermore, Falana said Nigeria’s insecurity cannot be solved by creating new police structures alone.
He argued that the country must address the root causes of crime.
“Whether you set up state police today or next year, there are issues that have not been addressed,” he said.
Links crime to unemployment, poverty
Meanwhile, Falana said unemployment and poverty continue to push many young Nigerians into crime.
He urged the government to create jobs and strengthen social welfare programmes.
“Why are more young men taking to criminality?” he asked.
“Why are we not talking of creating employment for young people or giving assistance to Nigerians who are vulnerable, extremely poor or multidimensionally poor?”
Calls for holistic approach
In addition, Falana said the government must adopt a broader strategy to tackle insecurity.
According to him, state police or local government police will have limited impact if underlying social problems remain unresolved.
“Unless you address this problem holistically, creating a state police or local government police will not address the crisis of insecurity in the country,” he said.
