‎A former Inspector-General of Police, Mike Okiro, has said the Nigeria Police Force is poorly funded, understaffed and ill-equipped, arguing that this is the reason for growing calls for the establishment of state police.

‎Okiro made the remarks while featuring on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.

‎”Nigerian police is badly disorganised, disenchanted, demoralised, unstaffed, ill-equipped, ill-trained.

‎”You see, if the police are well-equipped, nobody would talk about state police,” Okiro said.

‎He argued that funding remained the central problem undermining the force, rather than its structure.

‎”Funding is a major problem.

‎”People talk about state police because federal police have failed. If they succeed, they won’t talk about it,” he added.

‎Okiro also pointed to the physical state of police infrastructure across the country, saying manpower shortages had forced many stations to shut down.

‎”Funding. Poorly staffed. Most police stations are closed down. No manpower,” he stated.

‎Okiro’s comments come amid an intensifying national debate over the establishment of state police, following the passage of a State Police Bill by the National Assembly.

‎The proposal has drawn mixed reactions from public figures, with human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, cautioning that state police may not resolve Nigeria’s insecurity unless underlying issues such as unemployment are addressed, and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, urging the Federal Government to delay implementation until after the 2027 general election over fears it could be misused against political opponents.

‎Okiro has repeatedly weighed in on the debate in recent months, at different times backing the decentralisation of policing while also warning that Nigeria may not yet be structurally ready for as many as 36 separate state police forces, suggesting a regional or geopolitical zone-based model as a possible middle ground.