By Paul Ebi
Public commentator and author, Reno Omokri, has issued a strongly worded defence of President Bola Tinubu’s newly announced State Police Initiative, insisting that those opposing the security reform “lack a basic understanding of Nigeria’s policing history.”
President Tinubu on Monday declared a National Security Emergency, unveiling sweeping directives designed to tackle worsening insecurity across the country. But the announcement immediately triggered criticism from several quarters, including notable religious leaders, who warned that state-controlled police units could become political attack dogs for governors.
Omokri rejected such fears as historically uninformed, arguing that community and regional policing existed in Nigeria long before the controversial 1966 reorganisation decreed by then Head of State, Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi.
“Nigeria Had State and Community Police Before 1966” – Omokri
According to Omokri, Nigeria’s earliest policing system was based on Native Authority Police—local, community-rooted agencies operating independently across regions prior to the January 1966 coup.
He noted that Ironsi’s Unification Decree No. 34 dismantled the regional civil services and merged all police formations into a single federal structure, seizing regional resources and centralising power.
> “Those saying State Police will not work have no sense of history,” Omokri argued.“Regional and community policing worked in Nigeria before 1966, and would still be working today if not for the Nzeogwu/Ifeajuna coup.”
Historical Context: How Native Authority Police Operated
Omokri highlighted that Native Authority Police and Regional Police Forces—particularly in the North and West—were effective, locally respected and largely insulated from political interference.
In the Northern and Western Regions, Native Authority Police operated under traditional rulers such as Emirs and Obas.
In the Eastern Region, they functioned under Local Governments.
Both the North and West established Regional Police Forces in 1943, while the East did not.
He also traced the cultural origins of policing terminology, explaining that the Yoruba word “olopa” emerged in the 19th century to describe baton-wielding Hausa Constabulary officers introduced by British colonial authorities.
“Pre-1966 Police Were Effective Without Firearms”
Omokri stressed that unlike today’s heavily armed police, early policing units operated successfully with batons and community authority rather than guns. He referenced the Northern Region’s “Yan Doka” system and the Burti migratory control system, which helped manage farmer-herder conflicts under Northern Region Police head John Hodge in the 1950s.
He further noted that Nigeria’s iconic theatre legend, Hubert Ogunde, once served in the Western Regional Police before resigning in 1946.
“Past Success Predicts Future Success”
Omokri insisted that historical precedent strongly supports Tinubu’s renewed push for decentralised policing:
> “The best predictor of the future is the past. Community policing worked in Nigeria before. There is no reason to believe it will not work again.”
He accused critics—especially pastors and political commentators—of inconsistency, noting that many who previously demanded urgent security reform are now attacking a solution that historically proved effective.
Backing Tinubu’s Security Emergency
Omokri praised President Tinubu’s latest security measures as an act of “patriotic and strong leadership,” urging Nigerians to view the State Police proposal not through partisan suspicion but through the lens of Nigeria’s own pre-1966 policing heritage.
