Former Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mike Ejiofor, has described the proposed establishment of state police as a major security reform that could significantly improve policing in Nigeria.
Speaking on Arise TV on Monday, July 6, 2026, Ejiofor said state police would bring law enforcement closer to local communities and help address security challenges more effectively. “If we succeed in establishing state police, it will be one of the greatest achievements of this administration,” he said.
Addressing concerns that governors could abuse state police for political purposes, Ejiofor argued that appropriate legal safeguards and institutional checks could prevent such misuse. “Laws are made for human beings and there must be checks and balances against abuse,” he stated.
He welcomed the growing support for state police among governors, expressing optimism that it would ease the legislative process through state assemblies.
Ejiofor, a long-time advocate of state policing, said Nigeria’s security challenges are largely community-based and require local solutions. He added that locally recruited officers would improve intelligence gathering and complement federal security agencies, strengthening the country’s response to crime and insecurity.
