By Danjuma Amodu
The Kulen Allah Cattle Rearers Association of Nigeria, KACRAN, has opposed the growing calls for the establishment of state police. The association insists that massive job creation and sustained dialogue offer a more effective and enduring solution to the country’s worsening insecurity.
The association said creating state police forces would amount to treating the symptoms of insecurity rather than addressing its root causes, which it identified as poverty, unemployment, resource-based conflicts, and social exclusion.
In a statement signed by its National President, Hon. Khalil Mohd Bello, KACRAN said extensive consultations and field engagements across the North-West and North-Central regions convinced the association that economic empowerment and community-based conflict resolution mechanisms are more sustainable pathways to peace than setting up new policing structures.
KACRAN noted that Nigeria enjoyed relative peace in earlier decades not because of the existence of state police, but because traditional institutions, community structures, and economic opportunities helped manage disputes before they escalated into violence.
The association warned that pastoralists could become vulnerable to victimisation in states with anti-grazing laws if state police were established. It also raised concerns that some state governments could deploy their police forces against political opponents and other citizens, thereby undermining democratic principles and civil liberties.
According to KACRAN, the financial implications of creating and maintaining state police formations would be enormous, particularly for states with limited revenue bases. It argued that scarce resources would be better spent on improving access to water, agriculture, healthcare, education, and employment programmes rather than building another security bureaucracy.
The association further cautioned that establishing state police could trigger operational conflicts and rivalries between federal and state security commands, potentially complicating coordination and weakening security responses.
Pointing to the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme initiated under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, KACRAN said dialogue had previously succeeded in reducing violent conflicts and could again serve as a powerful tool for resolving contemporary security challenges if properly institutionalised.
The group also warned against weakening existing security arrangements involving the military, the Nigeria Police Force, and community vigilante groups, many of which are already supported by state governments through logistics and operational assistance.
Instead of creating state police, KACRAN urged the Federal Government to embark on massive recruitment into the police, military, and other security agencies to bridge manpower shortages. It also called for aggressive investments in job creation and food security programmes to prevent unemployed youths from being recruited into criminal networks.
The association further advocated empowering traditional rulers and community leaders as first responders to local disputes and integrating them into formal conflict resolution mechanisms backed by government support.
KACRAN reaffirmed its commitment to partnering with the Federal Government and security agencies in efforts to restore peace, protect livelihoods, and preserve Nigeria’s unity.
