By Samuel Solomon
A bill seeking to establish state police and devolve policing powers to subnational governments on Thursday scaled second reading in the Senate, marking a significant step in the National Assembly’s ongoing efforts to address Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.
The proposed legislation, which enjoys broad support across party lines in the Red Chamber, was subsequently referred by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution for further legislative scrutiny.
Leading the debate, Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, described the establishment of state police as a critical reform aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s internal security architecture amid growing concerns over the capacity of the Nigeria Police Force to effectively tackle emerging threats.
He said, “The establishment of state police will improve intelligence gathering: Local police officers are better equipped to obtain actionable intelligence from communities because they understand local languages, customs and social structures.
“Modern policing relies heavily on intelligence rather than force. State Police will significantly strengthen Nigeria’s intelligence architecture.”
Bamidele noted that Nigeria continues to grapple with a wide range of security challenges, including terrorism and violent extremism, banditry, mass abductions, farmer-herder conflicts, cultism, armed robbery, pipeline vandalism, communal clashes and cyber-enabled crimes.
According to him, the increasing complexity and localised nature of these threats have fuelled public calls for the creation of state police, as many Nigerians believe the country’s centralised policing structure can no longer adequately respond to security realities across the federation.
Responding to these concerns, Bamidele said he sponsored the bill as part of broader efforts to modernise the nation’s security framework and strengthen cooperative federalism.
He explained that the proposed amendment seeks to establish both federal and state police structures, clearly define their responsibilities, create State Police Service Commissions, provide oversight mechanisms, transfer policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, and enhance collaboration among different levels of government.
The Senate Leader stressed that the proposal was not intended to undermine national unity.
He said the proposed amendment “does not weaken national unity. Rather, it strengthens the Federation by enabling each level of government to effectively discharge its constitutional responsibilities.”
Addressing concerns that state governors could abuse control of state police formations, Bamidele argued that the bill contains sufficient safeguards to prevent such excesses.
He noted that one of the major concerns often raised against State Police “is the possibility of abuse by state governments. This Bill adequately addresses those concerns through several safeguards.”
The safeguards, he said, include the establishment of State Police Service Commissions, federal oversight through the Federal Police Service Commission, uniform national policing standards and legislative confirmation of senior appointments.
Bamidele also argued that state police would facilitate quicker responses to security threats by eliminating bureaucratic bottlenecks associated with the current centralised command structure.
“State Police formations will possess operational flexibility to respond swiftly to security incidents within their jurisdictions.
“It will promote community policing. Effective policing requires trust between law enforcement and the public. State police will foster stronger community partnerships and improve public confidence in law enforcement institutions.
“It will also relieve pressure on the Federal Police: The Federal Police currently bears responsibility for policing the entire nation. Establishing State Police will allow the Federal Police to focus on interstate crimes; terrorism; organised criminal networks; border security; cybercrime; protection of federal assets and national security operations.”
Other measures, according to him, include strengthened constitutional procedures for the removal of state commissioners of police, periodic certification and review of state police operations, and federal intervention mechanisms in situations where law and order completely break down.
Bamidele said all the safeguards “are intended to create a balanced framework that combines operational autonomy with accountability and constitutional oversight.”
Making a case for decentralised policing, the Senate Leader argued that security operations are more effective when they are community-based.
He said security “is most effective when it is local. The individuals who understand the terrain, language, culture and peculiar security dynamics of a community are often best positioned to detect criminal activities before they escalate.”
The lawmaker further maintained that state police would strengthen Nigeria’s federal system by ensuring a more equitable distribution of powers and responsibilities among different tiers of government.
“It will strengthen Nigeria’s federal structure. Nigeria operates a federal system of government. Under a true federation, powers and responsibilities should be appropriately shared among different levels of government.
“Most mature federations maintain sub-national police institutions alongside federal law enforcement agencies,” he said.
Drawing comparisons with other federations, Bamidele noted that several countries successfully operate multi-layered policing systems.
He cited the examples of the United States, Canada, Australia and Germany, where federal and subnational police structures coexist.
“In Australia, each state maintains its own police force while the federal government retains national policing responsibilities. In Germany, state police services operate alongside federal security agencies. As such, Nigeria should not remain an exception among federal systems,” he pointed out.
Following the lead debate, several senators, particularly from the northern region, spoke in support of the bill, arguing that state police would provide a more sustainable solution to the country’s security crisis.
Contributing to the debate, Senate Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno, expressed strong support for the proposal, saying it would help regulate the growing number of vigilante groups operating across the country.
“The bill will provide a legal framework for the establishment and operation of state police, enabling them to effectively discharge their responsibilities while ensuring proper regulation and accountability,” Monguno noted.
The push for state police has remained one of the most contentious constitutional reform issues in Nigeria, with supporters arguing that decentralised policing would improve security response and intelligence gathering, while opponents warn that it could be abused by state governments for political purposes.
Thursday’s debate, however, signalled growing legislative consensus in favour of the proposal as the country continues to battle persistent insecurity.
