The Nigeria Police Force and Challenges of Crime Management: An Appraisal of Agitation for State Control Police

Ogbodo Stephen O.

Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Nigeria

ABSTRACT

With the rising incidence of crime in Nigeria, the efforts of the Nigeria Police Force to reduce crime, enforce the law, and maintain criminal justice have come under serious scholarly scrutiny. This study is an attempt to contribute to this discourse. Thus, by examining the Nigeria Police and crime management, this study is poised to carry out an appraisal of agitation for state control police in Nigeria. Anchored on relevant qualitative data drawn from secondary sources and the theory of post-colonial state, this study examined the impact of the centralized command structure of the Nigeria Police Force on crime management in Nigeria. They observe that the centralization of the command structure of the Nigeria Police Force by the Federal Government undermines the efforts of the state government to effectively deal with the incidence of crimes in Nigeria. The study also notes that the relegation of state-control police accounts for the rising incidence of crimes in Nigeria. The study thus submits that the central control structure of the Nigerian Police Force undermines crime management in Nigeria. Among others, the study recommends a structural rejig of Nigerian federalism to allow decentralization of the command structure of the Nigeria Police Force to the federating units so that state governments can effectively deal with the incidence of crimes in their domain.

Keywords: State-Controlled Police, Crime Management, Centralized Command Structure, Post-Colonial State Theory, Decentralization

CITE AS: Ogbodo Stephen O. (2023). The Nigeria Police Force and Challenges of Crime Management: An Appraisal of Agitation for State Control Police. RESEARCH INVENTION JOURNAL OF CURRENT RESEARCH IN HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES 2(1):1-12.