Lagos Attorney-General Backs Constitutional Shift to State Police to Combat Localized Insecurity

Lagos AG Lawal Pedro supports President Tinubu's call for state police, proposing constitutional safeguards to prevent abuse and improve local security.

By: AXL Media

Published: Feb 26, 2026, 7:05 AM EST

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Independent Newspaper Nigeria

Addressing the Failures of Centralization

Lagos State’s chief law officer, Lawal Pedro (SAN), has added significant legal weight to the growing demand for state-controlled law enforcement. Speaking on Thursday, Pedro asserted that the current federal policing model has proven inadequate in the face of rising insecurity. He noted that the Nigeria Police Force is spread too thin across the country's vast 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, leaving many communities particularly in rural areas vulnerable to criminal elements. According to the Attorney-General, the persistence of localized crimes is a direct result of this structural deficiency.

Localized Crimes Require Local Solutions

Pedro emphasized that the most pressing security threats in Nigeria today are fundamentally local in nature. He cited a wide array of challenges, including:

Rural Banditry and Kidnapping: Crimes that often take place far from federal command centers.

Cultism and Ritual Killings: Social vices embedded within specific community contexts.