Former Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, has thrown his weight behind Nigeria’s proposed state police system, saying it can strengthen security if backed by strong legal safeguards, effective federal oversight and a centrally controlled rapid response police force.
Speaking yesterday during a town hall meeting on state police and in a televised interview, Barak said decentralised policing would enable security agencies to respond more effectively to local threats while allowing the Federal Government to intervene whenever state police face challenges beyond their capacity.
He proposed the establishment of a federally controlled rapid deployment police unit under Abuja’s command to support state police during major emergencies. “There should be a central kind of rapid deployment police force under the command of Abuja that could be sent to any region to support state police when a problem beyond their capabilities emerges”, he said.
Barak stressed that state police should not operate independently of the Federal Government, insisting that there must be continuous coordination, transparency and intelligence-sharing between state commands and federal authorities. According to him, state police should regularly report their operations to Abuja, while the Federal Government must remain responsive to evolving security challenges across the country.
Addressing concerns that governors could misuse state police for political purposes, Barak acknowledged the fears but argued that they could be addressed through carefully drafted legislation defining the powers of governors, the President and federal authorities. “The worry that someone might use state police for political ambitions is real and should be addressed”, he said, adding that robust constitutional safeguards would make decentralised policing more practical than trying to police a vast country like Nigeria solely from the centre.
He also advocated recruiting police officers from the communities they serve, arguing that local officers possess better knowledge of the terrain, culture, traditions and religious sensitivities, making them more effective in crime prevention and intelligence-gathering.
Barak described human intelligence as the backbone of counter-terrorism and organised crime operations but cautioned that sophisticated intelligence assets, particularly signal intelligence, should remain under federal control because of their strategic importance and the potential risks if abused.
He also advised against relying excessively on the military for internal policing, noting that soldiers are trained for warfare rather than civilian law enforcement. While acknowledging that the military remains necessary when confronting heavily armed terrorist groups that seize territory and operate as ‘mini sovereigns’, he said police forces should ordinarily handle domestic security operations.
The former Israeli leader commended Nigeria’s efforts to combat terrorism, kidnapping, organised crime and separatist agitations while maintaining democratic governance, describing the country’s approach as admirable. Barak noted that Israel’s advanced intelligence and security capabilities were built over several decades, urging Nigeria to remain patient and committed to long-term reforms.
Despite Israel’s security successes, Barak admitted the country still battles organised crime and internal security challenges, stressing that no nation achieves perfect security. He urged Nigeria to continually review its security strategies, learn from mistakes and sustain ongoing reforms, expressing confidence that the country’s efforts to improve intelligence, policing and technology were moving in the right direction.
Barak concluded that although establishing an effective state police system would not be easy, balancing local accountability with strong federal oversight remains the best path to improving security across Nigeria.
His remarks come as the 10th National Assembly considers constitutional amendments to move policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, a move that would allow states to establish their own police services under a regulated legal framework.
