IPCR DG backs state police, calls for safeguards against abuse

The Director-General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Dr Joseph Ochogwu, has said state policing could help tackle farmer-herder conflicts and rural banditry by improving intelligence gathering, strengthening community engagement and reducing response time to security threats.

He, however, warned that decentralised policing must be backed by professional standards, adequate funding and effective oversight to prevent political interference, human rights abuses and the persecution of minority groups.

Ochogwu spoke in Abuja on Thursday while delivering the keynote address at a conference on peace and conflict resolution in Nigeria, organised by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation-West Africa.

The conference, themed “Peace and Conflict Resolution in Nigeria: Rethinking Strategies for Sustainable Peace,” examined recurring violence linked to farmer-herder conflicts in North-Central Nigeria and rural banditry, as participants called for approaches that address the root causes of insecurity rather than rely solely on military and police operations.

The debate over state policing has intensified following progress on a proposed constitutional amendment to establish a decentralised policing system.

On October 23, the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill announced that 24 state Houses of Assembly had approved the amendment, meeting the constitutional threshold for it to proceed towards presidential assent.

As of Thursday, over 30 state Houses of Assembly had approved the bill, with the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, stating that the bill may be passed before December ends.

Speaking on the security implications, Ochogwu said state policing could bring law enforcement closer to communities and enable security personnel to respond more effectively to threats because of their familiarity with local conditions.

“Decentralisation must bring security closer to citizens without exposing them to local political coercion,” he said.

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He cautioned, however, that policing reforms alone would not guarantee lasting peace if communities continued to experience weak governance, economic exclusion and ineffective justice systems.

Ochogwu identified unemployment, economic inequality, weak public services and the proliferation of small arms as factors that could worsen insecurity when grievances were not properly managed.

He said disputes over land, identity and political representation could escalate into communal violence when public institutions were perceived as unfair or unresponsive.

The IPCR director-general called for stronger grassroots institutions, impartial law enforcement and more responsive governance, adding that security interventions should be accompanied by justice, accountability, humanitarian assistance and measures to restore livelihoods.

He cited the June 2025 attack on Yelewata community in Benue State, where more than 200 people were reportedly killed and over 3,000 residents displaced, as an illustration of the devastating consequences of rural insecurity.

The conference also examined the persistent farmer-herder conflicts associated with disputes over land, access to water, grazing routes and livelihoods, particularly in Benue and Plateau states.

Participants stressed the need to strengthen early-warning and response mechanisms, improve dialogue between affected communities and establish effective processes for resolving disputes over land and other natural resources.

On rural banditry, discussions focused on the impact of armed criminal groups on livelihoods, freedom of movement and economic activities, with participants examining how to protect civilians while addressing the conditions that enable such groups to operate.

Earlier, Prof Etannabi Alemika said Nigeria’s approach to conflict management remained largely reactive, despite the country’s existing expertise in government institutions, civil society organisations and academic research centres.
Alemika, in his presentation on strategies for sustainable peace, said the prevalence of violent conflicts had increased over the years, becoming more widespread and difficult to resolve, particularly since the country’s return to democratic rule in 1999.
He argued that conflict was not inherently destructive, explaining that it could contribute to development when disagreements were resolved through peaceful dialogue, negotiation and mediation.
According to him, conflict becomes destructive when it turns violent, and parties reject negotiations or other rational means of reaching mutually acceptable solutions.
Alemika said many conflicts in Nigeria involved competition for access to and control of resources, adding that ethnic and religious identities sometimes obscured the underlying interests driving violence and complicated efforts to resolve disputes.
He also raised concerns about individuals who profit from the instigation, financing and execution of violence, noting that some could gain recognition and access to resources allocated for managing conflicts.
The professor faulted the government’s preference for ad hoc responses to insecurity, arguing that greater emphasis should be placed on proactive policies capable of delivering sustainable peace.
He further identified inadequate collaboration among government institutions, civil society organisations and other peacebuilding actors as a major challenge, saying the tendency to work in silos weakened efforts to prevent and resolve conflicts.
In her welcome remarks, Angela Odah of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation-West Africa said insecurity had made ordinary activities, including road travel and visits to rural markets, increasingly dangerous.
She said the foundation had supported dialogues and initiatives aimed at promoting democratic participation, peaceful coexistence and practical responses to Nigeria’s political, economic and social challenges.
Odah said the conference was designed to review the country’s security situation and develop recommendations for sustainable peace, adding that the foundation planned to sustain the dialogue annually over the next three years.
The event brought together academics, civil society activists, government representatives and peacebuilding practitioners, including activist Ene Obi and Professor Plangshak Suchi of the University of Jos, to discuss strategies for addressing the causes of conflict and strengthening prospects for lasting peace in Nigeria.