Nigeria Cannot Secure 300,000 Schools Without State Police — Omokri

ABUJA — Former presidential aide and Ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has renewed his call for the establishment of state police across Nigeria, arguing that the country’s security challenges, particularly the protection of schools from abductions, cannot be effectively addressed by the federal security architecture alone.

Reacting to concerns following the recent abduction incident in Ogbomosho, Omokri stated that it would be practically impossible for Nigeria’s armed forces to provide security for all schools nationwide without the active participation of states through a decentralized policing system.

According to him, Nigeria has more than 300,000 schools, while the nation’s military strength stands at about 230,000 active personnel, making it mathematically impossible for the armed forces to guard every educational institution across the country.

“Without states buying into President Bola Tinubu’s State Police initiative, it will be impossible for Nigeria’s 230,000-man army to guard all the approximately 300,000 schools across the country,” he said.

Omokri maintained that while the military could secure some strategic locations, expecting it to provide round-the-clock protection for every school was unrealistic.

He urged critics of his position to provide practical alternatives rather than resorting to personal attacks, insisting that the issue should be approached from a standpoint of logic and critical thinking.

The former presidential spokesman further highlighted Nigeria’s long-standing border security challenges, noting that the country’s borders have remained porous since colonial times.

According to him, effectively policing Nigeria’s vast land borders on a 24-hour basis would require more than one million active military and paramilitary personnel, a figure significantly higher than the country’s current security manpower.

He argued that building such capacity would require substantial financial resources and time.

Omokri also pointed out that the Nigerian Police Force is already overstretched, with officers engaged in routine policing duties while simultaneously supporting military operations in troubled parts of the Northeast and Northwest regions.

“The Nigerian Police Force is already stretching itself to protect the civil population and augment the army in flashpoints in the Northeast and Northwest,” he stated.

He stressed that insecurity in parts of the country is being exacerbated by developments across the Sahel region, which continue to place pressure on Nigeria’s security infrastructure.

Calling for a national conversation on the issue, Omokri challenged opponents of state police to propose workable alternatives for safeguarding schools and communities across the federation.

He maintained that criticism without constructive solutions would do little to address the growing security concerns facing the country.

The debate over the creation of state police has remained a contentious issue in Nigeria, with supporters arguing that decentralizing policing would improve local intelligence gathering and rapid response to security threats, while critics warn about the potential for abuse by state governments.

Recent attacks on schools and communities in various parts of the country have reignited calls for comprehensive reforms aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture.

 

Nigeria Cannot Secure 300,000 Schools Without State Police — Omokri