Many will agree that public institutions in Nigeria are generally corrupt and inept, seemingly inflicted by some “green-white-green curse”. And despite its sensitive role as the chief custodian of the country's internal security, the Nigerian Police Force is perhaps the most miserable of that unsightly cluster of clumsiness.

The Nigerian police has had a bad reputation for as long as memory serves. They are renowned for corruption and the outright violations of citizens' rights. The #EndSARS protests in 2020, which were sparked by several unjust killings by police operatives, are another in the long line of incidents arising from blatant inefficiency by the Nigerian Police.

Several debates surrounding making the police more efficient and less corrupt have cropped up. The new Police Act 2020 was an attempt by the Buhari-led government to reform the Police force after the 2020 #EndSARS movement debacle. The new Act, which came into force in September 2020, aimed towards a more efficient and effective police service based on the principles of accountability and transparency, protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and partnership with other security agencies (s.1(a) to (c) of the 2020 Act).

The Act introduced reforms such as the prohibition of police arrest for a civil wrong, tortious act or breach of contract in s.32, also giving effect to s.8(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, which contains a similar provision. The Act also prohibits, in s.35, the arrest of any person in lieu (instead of) the actual suspect, e.g., a father or mother in place of their son or a wife instead of her husband. However, these measures and reforms have yet to preclude more problems and issues involving the police. That raises the question of what can be done to strengthen security in the country further and ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the police.

Will a state police system represent an actual and potential solution?

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Image Credit: Amnesty International