At last, the kidnapped Oyo students and teachers regained freedom after 56 days in captivity. This news was enough relief for all Nigerians on July 10, 2026, given the widespread public outburst and outcry over the deteriorating security situation in the most populous African country.
Since the release of these 39 students and six teachers, there has been a form of immense outpour of congratulatory messages to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, as well as the security agencies for the release of these innocent souls without paying a penny.
It is sad to note that Mr Michael Oyedokun did not make it back to the family, considering his gruesome murder by the bandits, who are in the business of causing pain and anguish. They also gunned down another teacher who tried to escape when they were kidnapped from three different schools in the Oriire Local Government area of Oyo State.
However, the saying that “if you keep doing things the same way, you will keep getting the same result,” is very apt for such a time as this for the Nigerian society. The country that gained independence on October 1, 1960, with a population of about 45 million people, is totally different from what it is today, with a population of over 200 million.
If the same security approach of 1960 is still in operation today, then the nation is in big trouble. It is appalling that, by now, the bill to establish state police has not yet been signed into law in Nigeria, with such a huge population.
It should be noted that human beings and their society evolve daily. And this evolution is all -encompassing. It affects our education, technology, culture and even corruption and wicked strategies. Mind you, the issue of insecurity is a global thing, depending on how the leadership readily tackles it.
At the time of independence, the high-level corruption of today was a farce, and the levels of evil practices such as banditry, kidnappings, incessant killings and inhuman treatment were strange to human societies, especially Nigeria and Africa by extension.
But the world as postulated by Marshall McLuhan is a global village where there is an easy exchange of ideas and evil tendencies on all fronts. In this age, you do not need to travel abroad to know how things operate there. We now exchange handshakes across the Internet and social media.
In those days, the Nigerian Army was highly respected on the continent. No wonder Nigeria’s foremost foreign policy states inter alia that ” Africa is the centre piece of Nigeria’s foreign policy.”
History cannot forget the efforts of our troops in fueling the fire of civil war in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Nigeria played a major role in the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) without batting an eye.
But the same Nigeria has been battling with insurgency since 2009 to date. The country had lost numerous men and officers of the Army to this struggle, including high-ranking officers. There were some reports that the so-called monsters called bandits had modern strategies and training in this evil business by virtue of their link with other terrorist organisations.
The point remains that the old system of depending on the Federal Government for policing cannot suffice for the present challenges. As such, the need for state police cannot be pushed aside any longer.
In a country that localises its policing, the quality of intelligence gathering and timely reach will be top-notch. The people will be able to adopt and domesticate the system as it is given its closeness to them. By extension, they will freely relate with the community police by dishing out timely intelligence, considering its benefits to their survival and well-being.
Unfortunately, our leaders travel abroad. I am sure they have an idea of what community policing is. Let me give a good picture in this manner: In Nigeria, you need to go to the police station to report a crime or an incident. In countries that practice community policing, the police are right at your doorstep to forestall any criminal tendency.
In another instance, in Nigeria, many of our policemen cherish being under the roof of their offices, be it police stations, government houses or those working directly with the very important personalities (VIPs). In the practice of state/community policing in the Western world, the majority of policemen and security agencies are on the streets, driving all day from one end to another. Some others are on motorcycles and bicycles with the aim of gathering intelligence.
With this approach, their response time to an incident is the shortest you can think of because they are right within your neighbourhood. In that sense, some criminal elements can’t round up a group of 250 students and take them away without any trace of security operatives stopping them.
I am aware that community policing is more expensive than the present federally-controlled system we operate, but Nigeria as a nation has the resources to fund it if we really want to be sincere. It is just a function of political will. Is it about the manpower, equipment, and gadgets that are needed to function? Yes, Nigeria can afford it. Of what use is a system that is not effective in the 21st century, while many innocent lives are being lost daily?
For instance, it is on record that since 2014, over 2300 students have been kidnapped in various schools across Nigeria in mass abductions. Many of these children were eventually rescued or released after ransoms were paid, and a hundred remain unaccounted for to date.
In addition, if the state policing approach works, the security operatives who risk their lives must be handsomely remunerated. Frankly, I do not know of any beggarly security men and women in any country of the world other than Nigeria. Obviously, there is a way poverty puts everyone in harm’s way, given how it makes one prone to unnecessary pressure and temptation. The government of Nigeria should be intentional about uplifting the livelihood of its men and officers in all security agencies with good salaries and allowances.
Also, there should be a system in place for this police reform to succeed. This system, as practised in great countries of the world, will shield it from political interference. Above all, if we do away with “endemic” corruption, bureaucratic bottlenecks and issues resulting in public distrust, I do not doubt that this great nation called Nigeria will sing a new song as state policing of the nation will help reduce incidents of crimes and criminalities to the barest minimum.
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