Nigeria, June 10 -- Thirty civil society organisations have called for robust accountability and governance safeguards as momentum builds around proposals to establish state police in Nigeria, warning that decentralising policing without effective oversight could undermine public trust and citizens' rights.

The coalition, Open Alliance, made the call following a stakeholder dialogue on "Devolution of Policing in Nigeria: Pathways to Effective and Accountable State Policing," held in Abuja on 13 May.

The event brought together civil society organisations, governance institutions, development partners, legal practitioners, security experts, media professionals, and policy actors to examine the prospects and risks associated with state pol...