Houses of assembly in the 36 states will pass the State police Bill simultaneously when it is transmitted to them by the National Assembly, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun said yesterday
According to him, the governors had agreed on this course of action to quicken the phase of the establishment of State police.
He acknowledged that decentralising policing would bring law enforcement closer to communities, strengthen intelligence gathering and significantly improve response to insecurity across the country.
He spoke at the ARISE NEWS Town Hall Meeting in Abuja, with the theme: “Building a national consensus for state police and national security.”
Stakeholders agreed that Nigeria had reached a defining moment in its quest to reform the country’s policing architecture, with many describing the debate over state police as largely settled.
Leading the campaign, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, said the proposed constitutional amendment establishing state police would enable quicker responses to crime while addressing longstanding structural deficiencies in Nigeria’s centralised policing system.
Kalu argued that giving states operational control over policing would improve intelligence gathering, deepen community policing and ensure security agencies respond more effectively to emerging threats.
He acknowledged concerns that governors could abuse state police but assured Nigerians that the National Assembly had incorporated constitutional safeguards to prevent political interference.
“The fears surrounding abuse have been addressed through constitutional and legal measures. We have ensured that adequate checks and balances are built into the proposed legislation,” Kalu said.
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