The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has called for stronger community-based justice systems and renewed debate on state policing as a response to Nigeria's worsening security challenges. Speaking at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Sokoto branch's 2026 Law Week, Fagbemi stated that many security threats stem from unresolved local disputes over land, family, resources, or identity. He emphasized that security must be rooted in communities, not solely managed by federal institutions. "The security of a nation does not begin at its borders or with armed forces alone; it begins within its communities," he said.
Fagbemi advocated for state police, citing faster response times, better local intelligence, and cultural understanding as key advantages. He revealed that the Federal Government secured 386 convictions from 508 terrorism-related cases, highlighting ongoing rule of law enforcement. Rashida Muhammad, Chairman of the NBA Sokoto branch, warned that insecurity is eroding public trust and threatening national unity. Sokoto State Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto said 14 judicial officers have been appointed and equipped, with major court infrastructure projects nearing completion. Fagbemi urged lawyers to act as community stabilisers by improving access to legal processes and promoting alternative dispute resolution.
Lateef Fagbemi's push for community justice and state policing cuts to the core of Nigeria's failed centralised security model. His assertion that local disputes fuel national crises exposes how decades of neglecting grassroots legal infrastructure have allowed minor conflicts to morph into armed banditry and regional instability—especially in states like Sokoto, where weak dispute resolution systems meet porous borders and deep-seated communal tensions.
The AGF's disclosure of 386 terrorism convictions from 508 cases suggests the judiciary is functioning, but only within the narrow scope of federal prosecution. Meanwhile, unresolved land and chieftaincy disputes in rural communities continue unchecked, creating fertile ground for criminal networks to exploit. Fagbemi's call for lawyers to serve as community mediators reveals a quiet admission: the formal justice system cannot scale without local legal actors filling the gaps. Sokoto's appointment of 14 new judicial officers and ongoing court upgrades show incremental progress, but these efforts remain reactive rather than transformative.
For ordinary Nigerians in conflict-prone areas, justice is often too distant, too slow, or too corrupt to trust. Fagbemi's vision, if implemented, could shift power from distant federal forces to local institutions that understand community dynamics. But without funding, training, and political will to devolve real authority, state policing risks becoming another layer of bureaucracy rather than a tool of accountability.
This moment fits a broader pattern: Nigerian leaders keep diagnosing the country's systemic flaws with precision, yet implementation consistently falters at the doorstep of federalism, funding, and elite resistance to shared power.
