Community Policing and Internal Security in Rivers State, 2010 - 2025
Emmanuel Opuene Davies, PhD, Reason Onya, PhD, Ibezim Aniekan Rita
Abstract
Crime Reduction vis-a-vis internal security has drawn the attention of security experts, crime fighters and policy makers in recent times. Particularly, in crime prone societies like Nigeria. This study examined community policing (CP) and internal security in Rivers State between, 2010 – 2025. The study is operationalized within the Democratic Theoretical Perspective. The cross-sectional research design was adopted as the method for generating data. Data was generated from 400 respondents which are constituted as the sample size of the study. Generated data were analyzed using Inferential Statistics and Multivariate Regression models. Hypothesis was tested using chi-square. The study revealed that there is a positive relationship between community policing and internal security in Rivers State, emphasizing the active participation of community members as key to fighting crime within their localities. The study concludes among others; that a key drawback of community policing in Rivers State is that of perception gap between the traditional police officers and the community members, highlighting the need for improved communication and relationship building between both sides. Accordingly, the study recommends amongst others that; as part of administrative and institutional reforms, that administrative and institutional reform of the police operational framework should be redesigned to reflect a community-friendly support and community- oriented service delivery wherein local vigilantes can be incorporated into its operational strategies.
Keywords
Community Policing
Vigilante
Security
Crime.
References
Aboh, A. (2018). The Challenges of Community Policing and Internal Security Architecture
In Nigeria: An Explanatory Discourse. Calabar Journal of Politics and Administration.
https://www.academia.edu/49096629/The_Challenges_Of_Community_Policing_And
_Internal_Security_Architecture_In_Nigeria_An_Explanatory_Discourse
Aborisade, R. A. (2021). Accounts of Unlawful Use of Force and Misconduct of the Nigerian
Police in the Enforcement of COVID-19 Measures. Journal of Police and Criminal
Psychology, 36(3), 450–462. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-021-09431-4
Adimorah, E. N. O., & Ugoji, P. (1997). Rural Community Information System in Nigeria:
Imo
State
Project
Report.
World
Libraries,
7(2),
Article
https://worldlibraries.dom.edu/index.php/worldlib/article/view/511
Afzal, M. (2020). From “Western education is forbidden” to the world’s deadliest terrorist
group: Education and Boko Haram in Nigeria.
Agwanwo, D. E., & Bello, I. (2019). Governance, Violence and the Challenge of Internal
Security in Rivers State, Nigeria. The Nigerian Journal of Sociology and Anthropology,
17(1), 35–47. https://doi.org/10.36108/NJSA/9102/71(0130)
Ahire, P. T. (1990). Policing and the Construction of the Colonial State in Nigeria, 1860-1960.
Journal of Third World Studies, 7(2), 151–172. https://www.jstor.org/stable/45192946
Ajayi, J. O., & Longe, O. (2015). Public Perception of the Police and Crime–Prevention in
Nigeria. Journal of Education, Society and Behavioural Science, 145–153.
https://doi.org/10.9734/BJESBS/2015/12763
Ajayi, V. (2023). A Review on Primary Sources of Data and Secondary Sources of Data.
Akinlabi, K. L., & Ihemeje, G. C. (2021). Role of Vigilante Groups in Crime Prevention and
Control in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. Ife Social Sciences Review, 29(2), Article 2.
https://issr.oauife.edu.ng/index.php/issr/article/view/153
Akinyemi, O. E. (2021). Community policing in Nigeria: Implications for national peace and
security. International Journal of Management, Social Sciences, Peace and Conflict
Studies, 4(1), 469–488.
Albrecht, P., & Kyed, H. (2015). Community policing in rural Mozambique and Sierra Leone
(pp. 264–278). https://doi.org/10.4337/9781781955536.00025
Alemika, E. (2009). Police practice and police research in Africa. Police Practice and Research:
An International Journal, 10, 483–502. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614260903378467
Alemika, E. E. O., & Chukwuma, I. (2000). Police-community violence in Nigeria. Centre for
Law Enforcement Education.
Alemika, E., & Chukwuma, I. (2004). The poor and informal policing in Nigeria. CLEEN
Foundation.
Alharahsheh, H., & Pius, A. (2019). A review of key paradigms: Positivism vs interpretivism.
Journal Name Missing, 1. [Add journal or source name if available]
Aliyu, D. A., Ahmed, A., & Mustapha, D. H. (2024). An assessment of community-based
security strategies in combating armed banditry in Jibia Local Government, Katsina
State, Nigeria. FUOYE Journal of Criminology and Security Studies, 3(1), Article 1.
https://fjcss.fuoye.edu.ng/index.php/fjcss/article/view/113
Allman, D. (2015). Community centrality and social science research. Anthropology &
Medicine, 22(3), 217–233. https://doi.org/10.1080/13648470.2015.1081670
Alozieuwa, S. H. O. (2021). Review of the evolution of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF).
African
Journal
of
Terrorism
and
Insurgency
Research,
2(3),
75–119.
https://doi.org/10.31920/2732-5008/2021/v2n3a4
Amnesty International. (2020, January 9). Nigeria: Rise in cult related killings in Rivers State.
Amnesty International. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/01/nigeria-rise-
in-cult-related-killings-in-rivers-state/
Anderson, B. R. O. (1991). Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of
nationalism. Verso.
Anwarullah. (2006). The criminal law of Islam. Kitab Bhavan.
Aogo, O. J., Mn, O., Jc, O., D, A., & Ud, U. (2021). Evaluation of crime pattern in Khanna
Local Government using geographic information system. World Journal of Advanced
Research and Reviews, 12(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2021.12.3.0611
Arisukwu, O. C., & Okunola, R. A. (2013). Challenges faced by community-oriented policing
trainees in Nigeria. International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, 2(3), 287–
Asanebi, D. H., Theo-Iruo, I. R., & Odoh, N. J. (2021). The challenges of national security in
Nigeria: The North-East and South-South geopolitical zone experience from 1999–201.
SSRN Scholarly Paper No. 3950995. https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=3950995
Ayd?n-Aitchison, A., & Mermutluo?lu, C. (2020). Mapping human rights to democratic
policing through the ECHR. Security and Human Rights, 30(1–4), 72–99.
https://doi.org/10.1163/18750230-03001001
Balcioglu, E. (2016). Community policing in England, Wales, and European Union: Past,
present and future. Journal Name Missing, 15, 173–199. [Please insert the journal title
if available]
Baral, U. N. (2017). ‘Research data’ in social science methods. Journal of Political Science,
17, 82–104. https://doi.org/10.3126/jps.v17i0.20515
Barroga, E., & Matanguihan, G. J. (2022). A practical guide to writing quantitative and
qualitative research questions and hypotheses in scholarly articles. Journal of Korean
Medical Science, 37(16), e121. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2022.37.e121
Baughman, S. (2020). How effective are police? The problem of clearance rates and criminal
accountability. Utah Law Faculty Scholarship. https://dc.law.utah.edu/scholarship/213
Bauman, Z. (2013). Community: Seeking safety in an insecure world. John Wiley & Sons.
Bayley, D. H., & Shearing, C. D. (1996). The future of policing. Law & Society Review, 30(3),
585–606. https://doi.org/10.2307/3054129
BBC. (2021, November 15). Nigerian army ‘shot and killed #EndSars protesters’: Report.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59300011
Bhattacherjee, A. (2012). Social science research: Principles, methods, and practices (2nd
ed.). Anol Bhattacherjee.
Birk, R. H. (2018). Making responsible residents: On ‘responsibilization’ within local
community work in marginalized residential areas in Denmark. The Sociological
Review, 66(3), 608–622. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038026117738148
Bowles, S., & Gintis, H. (2002). Social capital and community governance. The Economic
Journal, 112(483), F419–F436. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0297.00077
Brechenmacher, S. (2019, May 3). Stabilizing Northeast Nigeria after Boko Haram. Carnegie
Endowment
for
International
Peace.
https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/05/03/stabilizing-northeast-nigeria-after-boko-
haram-pub-79042
Bujang, M. A., Omar, E. D., Foo, D. H. P., & Hon, Y. K. (2024). Sample size determination
for conducting a pilot study to assess reliability of a questionnaire. Restorative Dentistry
& Endodontics, 49(1), e3. https://doi.org/10.5395/rde.2024.49.e3
Burns, K., Duffett, M., Kho, M., Meade, M., Adhikari, N., Sinuff, T., & Cook, D. (2008). A
guide for the design and conduct of self-administered surveys of clinicians. CMAJ:
Canadian
Medical
Association
Journal,
179,
245–252.
https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.080372
Chan, J. B. L. (1997). Changing police culture: Policing in a multicultural society. Cambridge
University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511518195
Chermak, S., & Wilson, J. M. (2020). Attitudes toward the police in communities using
different consolidation models. International Criminal Justice Review, 30(2), 219–234.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1057567718769135
Chiamogu, A., & Chiamogu, U. (2024). Decentralizing the Nigerian Police Force: A plausible
approach to hinterland securities. Journal of African Conflicts and Peace Studies, 5(2).
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/jacaps/vol5/iss2/10
Christ, K. (2021, December 13). #EndSARS: An evaluation of successes and failures one year
In Nigeria: An Explanatory Discourse. Calabar Journal of Politics and Administration.
https://www.academia.edu/49096629/The_Challenges_Of_Community_Policing_And
_Internal_Security_Architecture_In_Nigeria_An_Explanatory_Discourse
Aborisade, R. A. (2021). Accounts of Unlawful Use of Force and Misconduct of the Nigerian
Police in the Enforcement of COVID-19 Measures. Journal of Police and Criminal
Psychology, 36(3), 450–462. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-021-09431-4
Adimorah, E. N. O., & Ugoji, P. (1997). Rural Community Information System in Nigeria:
Imo
State
Project
Report.
World
Libraries,
7(2),
Article
https://worldlibraries.dom.edu/index.php/worldlib/article/view/511
Afzal, M. (2020). From “Western education is forbidden” to the world’s deadliest terrorist
group: Education and Boko Haram in Nigeria.
Agwanwo, D. E., & Bello, I. (2019). Governance, Violence and the Challenge of Internal
Security in Rivers State, Nigeria. The Nigerian Journal of Sociology and Anthropology,
17(1), 35–47. https://doi.org/10.36108/NJSA/9102/71(0130)
Ahire, P. T. (1990). Policing and the Construction of the Colonial State in Nigeria, 1860-1960.
Journal of Third World Studies, 7(2), 151–172. https://www.jstor.org/stable/45192946
Ajayi, J. O., & Longe, O. (2015). Public Perception of the Police and Crime–Prevention in
Nigeria. Journal of Education, Society and Behavioural Science, 145–153.
https://doi.org/10.9734/BJESBS/2015/12763
Ajayi, V. (2023). A Review on Primary Sources of Data and Secondary Sources of Data.
Akinlabi, K. L., & Ihemeje, G. C. (2021). Role of Vigilante Groups in Crime Prevention and
Control in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. Ife Social Sciences Review, 29(2), Article 2.
https://issr.oauife.edu.ng/index.php/issr/article/view/153
Akinyemi, O. E. (2021). Community policing in Nigeria: Implications for national peace and
security. International Journal of Management, Social Sciences, Peace and Conflict
Studies, 4(1), 469–488.
Albrecht, P., & Kyed, H. (2015). Community policing in rural Mozambique and Sierra Leone
(pp. 264–278). https://doi.org/10.4337/9781781955536.00025
Alemika, E. (2009). Police practice and police research in Africa. Police Practice and Research:
An International Journal, 10, 483–502. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614260903378467
Alemika, E. E. O., & Chukwuma, I. (2000). Police-community violence in Nigeria. Centre for
Law Enforcement Education.
Alemika, E., & Chukwuma, I. (2004). The poor and informal policing in Nigeria. CLEEN
Foundation.
Alharahsheh, H., & Pius, A. (2019). A review of key paradigms: Positivism vs interpretivism.
Journal Name Missing, 1. [Add journal or source name if available]
Aliyu, D. A., Ahmed, A., & Mustapha, D. H. (2024). An assessment of community-based
security strategies in combating armed banditry in Jibia Local Government, Katsina
State, Nigeria. FUOYE Journal of Criminology and Security Studies, 3(1), Article 1.
https://fjcss.fuoye.edu.ng/index.php/fjcss/article/view/113
Allman, D. (2015). Community centrality and social science research. Anthropology &
Medicine, 22(3), 217–233. https://doi.org/10.1080/13648470.2015.1081670
Alozieuwa, S. H. O. (2021). Review of the evolution of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF).
African
Journal
of
Terrorism
and
Insurgency
Research,
2(3),
75–119.
https://doi.org/10.31920/2732-5008/2021/v2n3a4
Amnesty International. (2020, January 9). Nigeria: Rise in cult related killings in Rivers State.
Amnesty International. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/01/nigeria-rise-
in-cult-related-killings-in-rivers-state/
Anderson, B. R. O. (1991). Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of
nationalism. Verso.
Anwarullah. (2006). The criminal law of Islam. Kitab Bhavan.
Aogo, O. J., Mn, O., Jc, O., D, A., & Ud, U. (2021). Evaluation of crime pattern in Khanna
Local Government using geographic information system. World Journal of Advanced
Research and Reviews, 12(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2021.12.3.0611
Arisukwu, O. C., & Okunola, R. A. (2013). Challenges faced by community-oriented policing
trainees in Nigeria. International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, 2(3), 287–
Asanebi, D. H., Theo-Iruo, I. R., & Odoh, N. J. (2021). The challenges of national security in
Nigeria: The North-East and South-South geopolitical zone experience from 1999–201.
SSRN Scholarly Paper No. 3950995. https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=3950995
Ayd?n-Aitchison, A., & Mermutluo?lu, C. (2020). Mapping human rights to democratic
policing through the ECHR. Security and Human Rights, 30(1–4), 72–99.
https://doi.org/10.1163/18750230-03001001
Balcioglu, E. (2016). Community policing in England, Wales, and European Union: Past,
present and future. Journal Name Missing, 15, 173–199. [Please insert the journal title
if available]
Baral, U. N. (2017). ‘Research data’ in social science methods. Journal of Political Science,
17, 82–104. https://doi.org/10.3126/jps.v17i0.20515
Barroga, E., & Matanguihan, G. J. (2022). A practical guide to writing quantitative and
qualitative research questions and hypotheses in scholarly articles. Journal of Korean
Medical Science, 37(16), e121. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2022.37.e121
Baughman, S. (2020). How effective are police? The problem of clearance rates and criminal
accountability. Utah Law Faculty Scholarship. https://dc.law.utah.edu/scholarship/213
Bauman, Z. (2013). Community: Seeking safety in an insecure world. John Wiley & Sons.
Bayley, D. H., & Shearing, C. D. (1996). The future of policing. Law & Society Review, 30(3),
585–606. https://doi.org/10.2307/3054129
BBC. (2021, November 15). Nigerian army ‘shot and killed #EndSars protesters’: Report.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59300011
Bhattacherjee, A. (2012). Social science research: Principles, methods, and practices (2nd
ed.). Anol Bhattacherjee.
Birk, R. H. (2018). Making responsible residents: On ‘responsibilization’ within local
community work in marginalized residential areas in Denmark. The Sociological
Review, 66(3), 608–622. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038026117738148
Bowles, S., & Gintis, H. (2002). Social capital and community governance. The Economic
Journal, 112(483), F419–F436. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0297.00077
Brechenmacher, S. (2019, May 3). Stabilizing Northeast Nigeria after Boko Haram. Carnegie
Endowment
for
International
Peace.
https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/05/03/stabilizing-northeast-nigeria-after-boko-
haram-pub-79042
Bujang, M. A., Omar, E. D., Foo, D. H. P., & Hon, Y. K. (2024). Sample size determination
for conducting a pilot study to assess reliability of a questionnaire. Restorative Dentistry
& Endodontics, 49(1), e3. https://doi.org/10.5395/rde.2024.49.e3
Burns, K., Duffett, M., Kho, M., Meade, M., Adhikari, N., Sinuff, T., & Cook, D. (2008). A
guide for the design and conduct of self-administered surveys of clinicians. CMAJ:
Canadian
Medical
Association
Journal,
179,
245–252.
https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.080372
Chan, J. B. L. (1997). Changing police culture: Policing in a multicultural society. Cambridge
University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511518195
Chermak, S., & Wilson, J. M. (2020). Attitudes toward the police in communities using
different consolidation models. International Criminal Justice Review, 30(2), 219–234.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1057567718769135
Chiamogu, A., & Chiamogu, U. (2024). Decentralizing the Nigerian Police Force: A plausible
approach to hinterland securities. Journal of African Conflicts and Peace Studies, 5(2).
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/jacaps/vol5/iss2/10
Christ, K. (2021, December 13). #EndSARS: An evaluation of successes and failures one year
