The National Assembly has unveiled fresh constitutional safeguards aimed at preventing the proposed state police system from becoming a political tool in the hands of governors, insisting that financial autonomy and institutional independence will be central to the reform.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele and Speaker of the House of Representatives Abbas Tajudeen said the proposed constitutional amendments include provisions to guarantee the financial independence of state police services, addressing one of the biggest concerns raised by Nigerians over the long-debated security reform.
Speaking through a statement issued by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, Bamidele, who also serves as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, said lawmakers are proposing that funding for state police be placed on a first-line charge, similar to the funding model for the judiciary. According to him, this would protect state police commands from political and financial interference.
He acknowledged that fears surrounding state police were legitimate, noting that many Nigerians still remember abuses associated with regional police forces during the First Republic under the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions. However, he assured that the proposed framework is designed to promote operational independence, public accountability and professional policing.
Bamidele warned that inadequate funding could expose state police not only to political manipulation by governors but also to influence from wealthy individuals, business interests, criminal syndicates and other powerful groups.
“Business class can also abuse it. Some other organisations, even criminals or cabals, can abuse the state police service because it is a question of ‘he who pays the piper dictates the tune.’ If a state police service is not well funded, it may become a highway to nowhere,” he said.
Speaking at the National Security Roundtable during the 2026 National Assembly Open Week in Abuja, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen also dismissed fears that governors would control state police without checks. He explained that the Executive Bill currently before the National Assembly contains constitutional safeguards governing the appointment and removal of state Commissioners of Police, while also providing mechanisms for federal intervention if any state police service is abused.
Abbas described the bill transmitted by President Bola Tinubu as the first comprehensive constitutional effort by a sitting president to establish state police. He argued that Nigeria’s centralised policing system has struggled to effectively tackle growing security threats such as banditry, kidnapping, farmer-herder clashes and attacks on schools, adding that local policing would improve intelligence gathering and community response.
The proposal also received support from several stakeholders. Former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (Rtd.), called for broader reforms centred on intelligence, technology and stronger collaboration among security agencies. Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani advocated intelligence-led policing powered by artificial intelligence, biometric identification and predictive analytics, while House Leader Prof. Julius Ihonvbere urged greater involvement of traditional rulers and community organisations. The Etsu Nupe, Brig.-Gen. Yahaya Abubakar (Rtd.), also backed the initiative, describing state police as essential to strengthening community security across Nigeria.
