Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has assured Nigerians that adequate constitutional and legal safeguards will be put in place to prevent state governors from abusing the proposed state police structure.
Bamidele gave the assurance while speaking with journalists at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, amid growing debates over the planned establishment of state police as part of ongoing constitutional reforms.
Addressing concerns that governors could deploy state police for political purposes, the Senate Leader argued that similar fears already exist under the current centrally controlled policing system.
According to him, governors, as chief security officers of their states, can still exert influence on policing operations depending on the circumstances.
“Even with the federal police that we have today, a governor, who is the chief security officer of a state, can still use the police in a way that he thinks is possible, depending on how much the system allows itself to be manipulated,” he said.
Bamidele, however, stressed that lawmakers are carefully designing the constitutional amendment to include provisions that would prevent or significantly reduce the risk of abuse by state governments.
“Most importantly, we are putting mechanisms in the law as we amend the Constitution that will prevent or minimise instances of abuse by state governors,” he stated.
He explained that while the Constitution would provide the broad framework for state policing, more detailed operational guidelines would be incorporated into amendments to the Police Act.
“It is not everything that can go into the Constitution, but what is important at this point is that the amendment to the Police Act that will follow will spell out more details that may not necessarily be included in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he added.
The Senate Leader expressed optimism that governors and state legislatures would support the proposal when it is transmitted to the various State Houses of Assembly for consideration and approval.
He maintained that the push for state police is driven by the need to address Nigeria’s worsening security challenges rather than political considerations.
“State police is a child of necessity. It is no longer about political interests or politics. What is at stake is the safety and security of Nigerians, and that is why this reform has become imperative,” Bamidele said.
The proposal for the creation of state police has remained one of the most debated constitutional reform issues in recent years, with supporters arguing that it would strengthen grassroots security and improve intelligence gathering, while critics have warned of possible political misuse by state governments.
This version gives the report a stronger news lead, better flow, added context, and a balanced ending that reflects both sides of the state police debate.
