Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma and Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu have urged closer cooperation among security agencies, state governments and local communities to strengthen policing and improve public safety across Nigeria.
Uzodimma made the call while delivering a lecture at the sixth Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers (CARSPO) held at the Landmark Event Centre in Owerri. He examined the principle of subsidiarity and its relevance to policing and national security.
The governor argued that the debate over state police should move beyond structure to focus on how responsibility, knowledge and capacity can be deployed most effectively at the local level. Drawing on Imo’s security experience since 2020, he said the state’s challenges showed the value of local intelligence in separating political violence from kidnapping, armed robbery and other crimes.
Communities hold vital information that security agencies can use, Uzodimma said, but such intelligence must be professionally assessed and acted upon within the law. “The federal government and the Nigerian Police Force possess the means of coercion which no community organisation can replicate. Communities, however, possess priceless knowledge which no headquarters can manufacture,” he stated.
He called for greater localisation of policing, insisting that any state police arrangement must ensure professionalism, merit-based recruitment, constitutional allegiance and respect for citizens’ rights. Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, Uzodimma urged security agencies to improve intelligence gathering and community partnerships, noting that electoral violence often begins well before election day.
Responding, IGP Disu directed police officers who attended the retreat to apply the knowledge gained to improve service delivery nationwide. He commended Uzodimma for his support for the Nigeria Police Force and said complaints against officers had “reduced drastically,” crediting the efforts of Commissioners of Police. Disu urged officers to sustain the progress and work toward reducing complaints to “almost near zero” by the end of the year.
“We will continue to do our best to protect lives and properties,” the IGP said.
The three-day retreat featured lectures and discussions on policing, emotional intelligence, media relations, elections and other aspects of contemporary policing, with contributions from retired Inspectors-General of Police. The high point was the presentation of a certificate of appreciation to Uzodimma by the IGP in recognition of his support for the police.
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