From Kano to Benin: How Many More Police Officers Must Die Before State Policing Becomes a Reality?, by John Egbeazien Oshodi

Decentralizing Nigeria’s Police Force: Time to End National Type Police, State and Local Police Now – A Path to Safer Regional Travel, Infrastructure Reform, and Ending Institutional Stalemates – The Case of Kano to Benin City’s 528.26-Mile Journey

The officers from Kano State Police Command were drafted to Edo State for election duty, where they carried out their assignments. According to reports from various Nigerian media, the tragic road accident in Kano, where five police officers lost their lives and others were severely injured, is a haunting reflection of the dangerous, inefficient, and outdated policing structure in Nigeria. This incident is not just about a single tragedy—it represents a deeply flawed system that continues to expose law enforcement personnel to preventable dangers. The accident, along with the showing of the badly damaged police vehicle, serves as a clarion call for urgent reforms, particularly a shift towards decentralizing the police force and empowering state and local authorities.

Nigeria’s centralized policing system requires officers to travel immense distances for operations far removed from their homes. Consider the 528.26-mile journey between Kano and Benin City in Edo State—an exhausting, perilous trek across roads notorious for their poor conditions, reckless drivers, and dangerously unmaintained vehicles. This is not merely an inconvenience; it is a life-threatening risk that is magnified when officers must travel long distances for election duty or other assignments. This logistical burden is made all the more absurd by the fact that Nigeria has a clear, simple solution: decentralize the police force.

A decentralized state police system offers a multitude of localized advantages that could address not only the safety issues but also the efficiency, accountability, and trust deficit that currently plagues the Nigerian Police Force (NPF). By recruiting officers from within their own communities, states, or regions, the security apparatus becomes inherently more responsive, reliable, and deeply rooted in the needs of the population.

State and local police forces bring the advantage of officers who are familiar with the regional cultures, languages, customs, and traditions. Nigeria is a vast country, with over 250 ethnic groups, each with its own distinct social fabric. A centralized police force cannot adequately address the nuances of local disputes, criminal behaviors, or community dynamics in every part of the country. Officers hailing from the same area they police are more likely to understand the intricacies of local problems, from land disputes to ethnic tensions. This enables them to de-escalate conflicts more efficiently and prevents unnecessary violence or escalation due to cultural misunderstandings. For instance, an officer from the South-West would have a deeper understanding of the Yoruba culture, while someone from the North-East could approach a Fulani community with more tact and insight.

Moreover, this deep cultural and regional familiarity fosters a level of trust and accountability that is impossible to achieve with a federal police officer who has been parachuted into a region he or she knows little about. This connection would be particularly valuable during high-stress situations like elections, where tensions often run high, and a misstep from an outsider could lead to violence.

Currently, one of the biggest challenges Nigeria’s centralized police force faces is the distrust between the police and the communities they are meant to serve. Citizens in many regions see federal police officers as outsiders, often coming from distant states and lacking any real investment in the local community. This distance fosters an “us versus them” mentality, fueling resentment and further isolating the police from the people they are supposed to protect.

By contrast, a state or local police force would consist of officers who grew up in the same neighborhoods, attended the same schools, and are connected to the same networks as the people they are serving. This would create an immediate bond of trust and accountability, making it easier for law enforcement to gather intelligence, prevent crime, and resolve conflicts peacefully. Crime prevention becomes a community-wide effort, rather than the enforcement of laws by a distant, distrusted authority. Local policing encourages cooperation rather than coercion, and this is exactly what Nigeria needs in its regions, where people often feel alienated from federal control.

A local police force means faster response times in emergencies. Nigeria’s size and infrastructural challenges make it difficult for centrally controlled police units to respond promptly to crises. With officers stationed closer to the communities they serve, response times for incidents like kidnappings, robberies, and other emergencies would drastically improve. A decentralized system also makes operations more efficient by cutting down on long-distance deployments, reducing the wear and tear on vehicles, and lowering fuel costs and travel risks. Localized law enforcement ensures that officers are in the right place at the right time, without the unnecessary risks of cross-country travel for routine duties.

The recent deployment of officers from Edo State to Kano for election-related duties is a glaring example of how illogical the current system is. Why should officers from a distant region be sent to maintain order in a place they don’t know, at the cost of their safety and the state’s resources? Elections, like any other community-centric event, should be managed by local forces who know the terrain, understand the social context, and can respond to unique challenges more effectively.

The heartbreaking tragedy in Kano once again highlights the larger issue: Nigeria knows what it needs to do, yet systemic power games, institutional delays, and political maneuvering continue to prevent the country from making progress. Nearly all Nigerian governors and a vast majority of the public favor the establishment of state and local police forces. Despite this widespread support, the police leadership and federal government have been dragging their feet for years, giving half-hearted endorsements and making ambiguous statements that only prolong the status quo.

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) has shown a disturbing indifference to the urgent and overwhelming need for state policing, clinging instead to a national policing model that has proven itself time and again to be an utter failure—inefficient, chaotic, riddled with corruption, and at times, even lawless. His empty rhetoric about reform is nothing more than a facade, a veil to mask a leadership that undermines the very momentum needed for genuine change. What we are witnessing is a leadership that whispers promises of progress while fiercely protecting a broken system—a centralized force that serves not the people, but entrenched power structures that prioritize control over the lives of its officers.

This political gamesmanship is not just frustrating; it is deadly. The recent tragedy in Kano, where police officers lost their lives, shines a harsh light on the real-world consequences of this failed system. Those officers embarked on a long, dangerous journey—miles upon miles of treacherous roadways from Edo State to Kano, a distance of over 500 miles—just to supervise election duties. The heartbreak of that long road can never be overstated. Every mile carried the weight of exhaustion, isolation, and looming danger. These officers were not only battling the broken roads, reckless drivers, and poorly maintained vehicles that define Nigeria’s dangerous highways, but they were also battling a system that sent them on this deadly mission, miles away from the communities they swore to protect.

Imagine the emotional toll—the officers’ minds and hearts heavy with thoughts of their loved ones, knowing that every bump, every sharp turn on those dangerous roads, could bring them closer to their final moments. These officers didn’t lose their lives because they failed to do their duty; they lost their lives because they were forced into an absurd and unnecessary journey—a journey dictated by a system that would rather send them across the country than empower local forces to handle local matters.

The IGP’s stance is a glaring symbol of leadership disconnected from reality. Clinging to a centralized policing model, despite its glaring failures, not only puts police officers in unnecessary danger but shatters the trust of the very citizens they serve. It is a betrayal, not just of public trust, but of the officers who bear the brunt of a system that values power and control over their safety. This leadership is not only negligent but morally bankrupt, sacrificing lives on the altar of political convenience.

This tragic loss in Kano is not an isolated event; it is a symptom of a much deeper disease within Nigeria’s law enforcement system. Until there is a real commitment to decentralizing the police, to building a structure where officers are recruited locally, trained locally, and stationed in the very communities they serve, Nigeria will continue to pay this heavy price. The long, long road these officers traveled to their deaths should never have been their fate.

The idea of recruiting locally is not just practical—it’s humane. Officers who live and work in their own communities understand the landscape, the people, the culture. They aren’t strangers sent miles away from home; they are members of the community, trusted and respected because they are part of the same fabric. This cuts down the need for perilous long-distance travel, reduces the risks of these tragic accidents, and allows officers to serve more effectively. The emotional burden of sending police officers across the country, away from their families and homes, for tasks that could be handled by local forces, should weigh heavily on the conscience of those in power.

Yet, Nigeria knows what needs to be done. The voices in favor of state policing—governors, citizens, even members of the National Assembly and President Tinubu—have been clear. The push for decentralization is not just about political expediency; it is about saving lives, it is about trust, it is about building a safer, more responsive system. And yet, despite the knowledge of what is right, the power games, institutional delays, and senseless bureaucratic nonsense continue to stand in the way. Nigeria, with its vast population, diverse cultures, and regional complexities, needs a policing system that reflects its unique structure.

The long, treacherous road from Edo State to Kano is not just a journey of miles; it is a symbol of everything that is broken in Nigeria’s current policing system. These officers should have been protecting their local communities, working with people they know, in environments they understand. Instead, they were sent to their deaths, victims of a system that refuses to change. This pain, this unnecessary loss of life, should be the catalyst for reform, for decentralization, for a system that puts the safety and well-being of its officers and citizens first.

This tragedy should haunt the leadership and push them to finally break free from the chains of political self-interest and do what is necessary—decentralize the police, recruit locally, and end the unnecessary suffering that comes with these long, dangerous journeys. How many more lives will be lost on these endless, perilous roads before Nigeria finally chooses the path of progress?

It is particularly frustrating that Nigeria, a country as vast and populous as it is, continues to adhere to a policing model that simply does not fit its regional diversity. In a country with over 200 million people, the idea of a “one-size-fits-all” police force is absurd. It’s time to recruit officers from the very regions they are meant to serve. Not only would this create jobs within states and regions, but it would also drastically reduce the need for long, dangerous deployments, ensuring the safety of officers and the communities they protect.

Thankfully, there are signs that political leaders are finally beginning to come around. Both the National Assembly and President Bola Tinubu have indicated some readiness to push for state policing reforms. However, these signals must be translated into decisive action, and the tragic accident in Kano should serve as a galvanizing force. The time for waiting is over; Nigeria must act now to decentralize its police force, ensuring that no more lives are lost due to unnecessary cross-country deployments.

This is not just a call for reform—it is a plea for the lives of Nigeria’s law enforcement officers and the communities they serve. Imagine the horror experienced by the families of the five officers who perished in that accident. Their loved ones did not die in the line of duty protecting the public from danger. They died because of a system that needlessly puts officers on the road for hours, across hundreds of miles, for duties that could and should be handled by a local force. Their deaths were avoidable. These families will never see their loved ones again, and for what? For the preservation of a centralized, inefficient system that stubbornly refuses to change.

These power games, institutional politics, and bureaucratic nonsense must end. Nigeria is a vast country, but its people are crying out for a system that works for them, not against them. The Kano accident should not be a forgotten event—it should be the catalyst that finally pushes the government to decentralize its police force. The nation cannot afford any more delays, and it certainly cannot afford to lose any more of its brave officers to a broken system.

Professor John Egbeazien Oshodi, born in Uromi, Edo State, Nigeria, is an American-based police and prison scientist, forensic psychologist, public policy psychologist, and legal psychologist. He’s a government advisor on forensic-clinical psychological services in the USA and the founder of the Dr. John Egbeazien Oshodi Foundation for Psychological Health. With a significant role in introducing forensic psychology to Nigeria through N.U.C. and Nasarawa State University, he’s also a former Secretary-General of the Nigeria Psychological Association. He’s taught at esteemed institutions like Florida Memorial University, Florida International University, Nova Southeastern University, and more, and is currently an online faculty member at Weldios University, Nexus International University, and Walden University.