By Mercy Aikoye
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, on Wednesday sought to calm growing concerns over the proposed establishment of state police, insisting that the constitutional amendment before the National Assembly contains robust safeguards to prevent governors from turning state police into political tools.
Speaking at the National Security Roundtable held as part of the 2026 National Assembly Open Week in Abuja, Abbas said fears that state police could become “private armies” in the hands of governors or political godfathers had been anticipated by the drafters of the Executive Bill.
“I understand the concern that many people bring to this discussion, and it is a reasonable one. It is the fear that a State Police could become the private army of a governor or a political godfather,” Abbas said.
“The people who drafted this Bill had the same fear, and they answered it.”
According to the Speaker, the proposed legislation establishes constitutional checks that limit the powers of state governors over the police.
He explained that a state’s Commissioner of Police would be appointed only on the recommendation of the National Police Council and must be confirmed by the State House of Assembly. Removal of the commissioner, he added, would require a two-thirds majority of the Assembly and could only be done for justifiable reasons.
Abbas also said the Bill empowers the Federal Police to intervene if a state police service becomes dysfunctional or is abused, but only under clearly defined constitutional conditions.
“If a State Police breaks down, or falls into the wrong hands, or turns against the very people it should protect, the Constitution allows the Federal Police to step in,” he said.
He stressed that such intervention would be temporary, subject to judicial oversight, require written justification, and must be reported to both the governor and the National Assembly within 48 hours. He added that the Federal Government would have no authority to dissolve a state police service or suspend elected state institutions.
The Speaker described the Executive Bill transmitted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a historic reform, noting that previous administrations had debated state policing for decades without taking concrete legislative action.
“For the first time in our history, a sitting President has made State Police a central part of national reform. He has done so not with words alone, but with a Bill that now sits before the House of Representatives,” he said.
Abbas argued that Nigeria’s centralised policing structure has become inadequate to tackle increasingly complex security threats, including banditry, kidnapping, farmer-herder conflicts and attacks on schools.
“A country as large and as varied as ours cannot be policed forever by one central force run from the capital,” he said, adding that local policing would provide communities with greater security through officers who understand local terrain, culture and intelligence.
Clarifying the contents of the proposed constitutional amendment, Abbas said the Bill seeks to rename the Nigeria Police Force as the Federal Police Service while allowing states to establish their own police services if they choose.
However, he noted that no state police service could commence operations until the relevant State House of Assembly enacts enabling legislation and the state satisfies national minimum standards to be prescribed by the National Assembly.
Under the proposal, the Federal Police would retain exclusive responsibility for terrorism, federal offences, border security and policing the Federal Capital Territory, while state police would handle internal law enforcement within their respective states.
He further disclosed that each state police service would be supervised by an independent State Police Service Commission, receive direct funding, and operate under strict constitutional provisions prohibiting politically, ethnically or religiously motivated arrests or use of force.
While expressing support for the reform, Abbas acknowledged that critical issues still require legislative attention, including sustainable funding, coordination between federal and state police, intelligence sharing and the future of existing vigilante and community security groups.
He proposed a phased implementation of state policing, beginning with the enactment of a National Minimum Standards Act before any state police service becomes operational.
He also advocated gradual implementation on a state-by-state basis, alongside the establishment of a sustainable funding framework to ensure states can adequately finance their police services.
Beyond state policing, Abbas urged broader security sector reforms, including legislation establishing a national criminal and biometric database, improved intelligence-sharing mechanisms, enhanced border security, greater deployment of technology and improved welfare for security personnel.
Meanwhile, House Leader Prof. Julius Ihonvbere called for constitutional recognition of traditional rulers and stronger involvement of community-based organisations in Nigeria’s security framework, arguing that they possess critical grassroots intelligence.
Former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (retd.), advocated intelligence-led security operations, stronger institutional collaboration and greater investment in technology, while cautioning that artificial intelligence and other digital tools should complement—not replace—the professionalism and judgment of security personnel.
Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani similarly called for integrated intelligence systems, joint operations, shared criminal databases and increased use of forensic science, biometrics and predictive analytics to strengthen national security.
Also endorsing the proposal, the Etsu Nupe and Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, Brig.-Gen. Yahaya Abubakar (retd.), described state police as a necessary step toward improving grassroots security, provided they are properly structured, funded and professionally managed.
Other stakeholders, including Executive Secretary of the National Assembly Library Trust Fund, Henry Nwawuba; Secretary-General of the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures, Ambassador Dapo Oyewole; and the UK’s Head of Development Cooperation, Cynthia Rowe, called for evidence-based policymaking, stronger institutional collaboration and broad stakeholder engagement to ensure any security reforms strengthen democratic governance and public confidence.
