State Policing and the Political Restructuring Debate in Nigeria

Abstract

Nigeria’s internal security could be perceived as the freedom from or absence of those tendencies which could undermine internal cohesion and the corporate existence of the nation and its ability to maintain its in dispensable contribution regarding spreading of its core values and socio-political and economic objectives, as well as meet the legitimate aspiration of Nigerians. The nature and intensity of security threats together with the performance of the Nigeria’s Security apparatus has hitherto provoked the inclusion of state policing as a substantive element of the political restructuring debate in Nigeria. Against this backdrop , the current study intends to highlight constraints and possibilities of community policing in maintaining internal security within the context of the political restructuring debate in Nigeria. The study will have far reaching impacts on the country’s internal security system, its procedures, rulings, and practices. The study is also of high significance; as it examines the functions of state policing in attaining a well-organized internal security system. This study utilizes both secondary and documentary analysis to reveal its findings. The study recommends key institutional reform like the political restructuring prognosis must be implemented in terms of structural changes to make policing more effective.