Should we look at the history to solve Insecurity rather than state policing?

On June 23rd, 2026, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria formally transmitted the Constitution Alteration Bill, 2026, to the Senate and the House of Representatives with the aim of introducing state policing into the country’s constitutional architecture.

Many scholars lauded this idea, because it has been widely advocated by the intellectual community as a means of ending insecurity in the country.

Even I advocated for this notion in my work; Adebayo, O. I. (2026). Federalism in Books, Centralization in Reality: How Nigeria's Legislative Lists Undermine State Autonomy. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6958599

However, the present dynamics of insecurity in the country is multifaceted beyond the governors operational control of the police force. Let me explain better. Governors controlling state police cannot adequately control the state of insecurity in the country, because insecurity in Nigeria cut across so many factors that needs to be addressed individually.

First off, the country is facing a syndicated insurgent crisis with a decentralized hierarchy which made it impossible to name the enemy. All we know is that we are fighting kidnappers and terrorist, with no central thesis as to who is their leader and how they operate.

The worst case I have personally opined is the fact that, we can’t even place our fingers on what exactly these perpetrators are fighting for. We would bring Islaminazation to the table as a root cause, only to find out that both Christian, traditionalist and Muslim are slaughtered. We would bring economical control, only to find out that the kidnapping crime syndicate and proceeds gotten may rival two state’s budget.

For context, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported in its Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey that Nigerian households paid an estimated ₦2.23 trillion in ransoms between May 2023 and April 2024, and on the contrary Between same timeframe, the Lagos State budget is ₦1.934 trillion calculated compoundly by combining eight months of its 2023 fiscal allocations and four months of its 2024 allocations, and the Kaduna State budget is ₦314.50 billion calculated using the same proportional breakdown.

The crime enterprise and its proceed rivals two urban states. Lagos on its own is a metric to calculate the country’s growth, and here we have the crime statistics rivaling and beating its budget. This is scary.

With the above statistics, it should actually burden us, that a crime enterprise has enough financial sufficiency to operate without hindrance. With this financial  prosperity it should not come as a surprise that these criminals facilitate one of the largest arm trafficking network in Africa.

On the broader paradigm, if state police is not sufficient, what about the military? This would be a very sane question to ask. Well, let’s expose some facts. Do you know that dozens of major global militaries, including China, Poland, Romania, Germany, and Ukraine have completely retired or phased out the legacy 7.62×39mm AK-47 from standard infantry use, moving instead toward smaller-caliber, modular weapons.

Yet Nigeria battling such insurgency still remain indolent in Military upgrade. But here is what I actually find interesting, do you know that during the Civil War where the Nigerian troops were busy importing weapons, the Biafran counterparts was busy making local yet deadly weapons in UNN.

During the Nigerian Civil War, the Biafran army facing strict international blockade and a severe shortage of modern military hardware, called together the Igbo scientists, engineers, and local blacksmiths to form the Research and Production (RAP) directorate. Igbo scientists such as Dr. Benjamin Nwosu which was the administrative Head and Director of RAP. Prof. Felix Oragwu, the head of Research, Planning, and Scientific Coordination, and Col. Ejike Aghanya the military Commander bridging science and the frontline.

Others were Prof. Gordian Ezekwe, Prof. Clifford Ezeilo, Sylvester Akalonu,

Charlie & Ngozi Okafor who Innovated specialized fuels using local materials. Prof. Agu Ogan who Led research in biochemistry and material science. Dr. Ekechukwu Achukwu who managed the conversion of agricultural resources for industrial use.

The goal was simple, the aim was to rapidly invented and mass-produced sophisticated indigenous weapons to sustain the war effort. Amongst these weapons were the:

Ogbunigwe: A lethal series of locally engineered rocket-propelled missiles, improvised landmines, and command-detonation explosive devices also known as the "Ojukwu Bucket," famously deployed during battles like the Abagana Ambush.

Red Devil Armoured Cars: An improvised, heavily plated armored personnel carriers built locally from modified civilian and commercial flatbed trucks using welded steel sheets.

Local Landmines and Traps: A refined stationary ground explosives and shrapnel-delivery units designed to halt advancing infantry and armored divisions.

Improvised Mortars and Launchers: Locally cast mortar tubes and crude rocket launchers built using scrap metal and local chemical propellants.

I do not commend the devastating impact of the war, but the lesson for the Nigerian military is simple. Standardize Local Production of Arms with Upgrades. I would commend the Nigerian military on the progress made through the Defense Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), which recently partnered to assemble the DG-103 (a modernized AK-103 variant with synthetic furniture and better ergonomics) in Kaduna.

However, more focus is to be given to the brain power, and grit of its citizenry. To combat this insecurity, focusing on the legalization of system will not be sufficient, the citizenry in corporation and addition is necessary.

Just to articulate the above point, the government should always face its gaze on its people. Japan was not built by expatriate from China. We keep making the mistake of not using our brain power to change our society.

So my extra addition to the state police, focus on equipping the local weapon industry to rival this criminal organization.