• Oshiomhole wants govs abusing policy voted out, Mbah allays fears of abuse

• Abiodun optimistic Houses of Assembly will pass bill simultaneously

There are discordant tunes over the establishment of state police, with some citing likely abuse by state governors, while others welcome the development as a panacea for insecurity in Nigeria.

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central) cautioned against the abuse of the initiative by state governments, insisting that any constitutional framework establishing state policing must include strong safeguards to prevent political manipulation and protect citizens’ fundamental rights.

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has for financial autonomy and investment in modern security infrastructure for state police when created, stressing the need for any legal framework for state police to take into account the need for national standards, national support, local capability and local decision-making.

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, expressed confidence that all the 36 Houses of Assembly will simultaneously approve the state police bill, describing the initiative as a landmark step towards strengthening Nigeria’s internal security architecture.

Speaking at the Arise News Town Hall on State Police in Abuja yesterday, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, decried the inadequate number of police officers, stressing that state police was long overdue and that safeguards would be put in place to eliminate abuses.

Presently, Kalu noted, the ratio of police officers to citizens is about 1:600 as against the United Nations recommendation of 1:150.

He explained that the National Assembly “is determined” to ensure the smooth take-off of state policing, insisting that proximity to crime scenes and the need for rapid responses necessitated the unbundling of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF).

Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, said the National Assembly “is working on ensuring that the state police structures are placed on the first line charge” to address challenges in funding that might compromise professionalism.

According to him, the National Assembly has set in motion a process to amend the Police Act and pave the way for community policing in the near future.

AKPOTI-UDUAGHAN, while speaking as a panellist at the ‘Building a National Consensus for State Police and National Security’ conference organised by Arise News and THISDAY newspaper in Abuja, yesterday, warned that without adequate constitutional safeguards and institutional independence, state police could be weaponised against political opponents and ordinary citizens.

Addressing policymakers, security experts, public office holders and other stakeholders, the lawmaker said while the establishment of state police has become a recurring subject of national discourse, its implementation must not create opportunities for executive overreach or political intimidation at the sub-national level.

“State police should never become an instrument of political oppression or executive intimidation. We must build a policing system that serves the people, protects democracy and remains accountable to the rule of law,” she said.

She wondered how a state governor who could manipulate a federal police could not do worse with a state police force directly under his control.

FORMER Governor of Edo State, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, stressed that the fears of likely abuse were neither here nor there.

According to him, governors’ inability to control the federal police makes it difficult to achieve desired results in the fight against insecurity.

Oshiomhole called on Nigerians to vote out state governors who exhibit tendencies of abuses, adding that the state police would cure more ills than whatever fears are being expressed about abuses.

Pledging full support for the policy, Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, insisted that chief executives of states would do better in terms of fighting crime with the establishment of state police.

He doubled down that his administration would not pay ransom to kidnappers, emphasising that bandits use the ransoms to procure more arms to terrorise the people.

However, former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor (red), advised the Federal Government to first address the logistical and training challenges faced by the police to ensure that state police do not inherit the problems that have hindered their operations over the years.

He suggested a complete overhaul and strengthening of the recruitment processes of state police to shield it from criminals.

GOVERNOR of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, said that governors had committed to establishing state police to combat crimes such as banditry and kidnapping.

He emphasised that those expressing fears that it would be abused by governors elevated the conversations, and that safeguards would be emplaced to eliminate such tendencies.

Speaking virtually, the Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, said the establishment of state police should come alongside judicial reforms.

He advocated for state supreme courts that would work alongside the state police and reduce the workload on both federal police and the judiciary.

MBAH, on his part, emphasised that prioritising security through adequate funding for state police and investment in technology would enable those responsible for security at the sub-national level to deliver the expected outcomes.

“The importance of funding the state police system effectively cannot be over-emphasised. Having a State Police Service Commission that has a first-line charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) is in order.

“Many other institutions in the states – the judiciary and the legislature – have the first-line charge. The key thing is providing enough funding to be able to sustain the state policing system,” he said.

GOVERNOR Abiodun described June 24, 2026, as a historic day in Nigeria’s democratic journey, noting that it marked the transmission of the Executive Bill on state police to the National Assembly and the Senate’s swift consideration.

According to him, previous administrations had attempted to establish state police without success, making the development particularly significant.

“I thank Arise TV for organising this very important town hall meeting on a matter that has now become a national consensus. One of the few subjects in Nigeria that enjoys such broad national acceptance is the creation of state police,” the governor said.

Abiodun, who chairs the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Committee on State Police Creation, said governors across the federation played a central role in shaping the bill, reflecting the importance sub-national governments attach to the initiative. (The Guardian)

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