Former Cross River State governor and presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has advocated for a decentralized policing system in Nigeria. He believes that the country's centralized security architecture has failed to effectively address terrorism, kidnapping, banditry, and other crimes. Duke suggests that policing should be localized, with intelligence gathering as the primary responsibility of local security formations. This approach, he argues, would enable communities to identify suspicious movements and emerging threats within their environments.
Duke noted that Nigeria's security architecture has not undergone substantial changes since the end of the Civil War in 1970. He emphasized that the country needs to update its security structure to address current challenges. While recent efforts have led to the creation of more military divisions, Duke stresses that essential security measures must be localized. He suggests that state police and local government police can be effective if clear guidelines and safeguards are established to prevent abuse.
The former governor dismissed concerns that state governors could use state police for political intimidation. He argued that the federal police can also be abused by powerful political officeholders. Duke believes that setting up state police with stringent guidelines can mitigate the risk of abuse. He also emphasized the need to strengthen the judiciary to ensure that there is an institution that everyone can report to when things go wrong.
According to Duke, intelligence gathering should account for the bulk of policing activities. He stressed that security agencies operating far from communities cannot easily obtain the kind of information available to residents. Duke suggested that only about 20 percent of policing is enforcement, while 80 percent is intelligence gathering. He believes that local people are better positioned to gather intelligence, making decentralization of policing essential.
Duke also criticized Nigeria's intelligence efforts against Boko Haram. He expressed shame that after almost 20 years of insurgency, the country still lacks adequate intelligence on the terrorist group. Duke believes that Nigeria should have developed stronger intelligence networks within Boko Haram to anticipate their next moves. He cited the need for Nigeria to infiltrate the ranks of the terrorist group.
The PRP presidential candidate pointed to the United States as an example of a country that operates decentralized security structures. He mentioned the National Guard, which has formations in individual states while remaining within a defined federal framework. Duke suggested that Nigeria can learn from this model and adapt it to its own security needs.
Duke concluded that decentralizing policing is essential for Nigeria to effectively address its security challenges. He emphasized that state police and local government police can be effective if implemented with clear guidelines and safeguards. Duke's call for decentralized policing has sparked a renewed debate on the need for Nigeria to reform its security architecture.
Key points
- Donald Duke advocates for decentralized policing in Nigeria to address terrorism and crime.
- Duke suggests that intelligence gathering should account for 80 percent of policing activities.
- The former governor cites the United States' National Guard as a model for decentralized security structures.
