The Senate has approved measures aimed at preventing governors from abusing the proposed state police structure for partisan, ethnic, religious, sectional, or personal interests.
The safeguards form part of the Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, passed by the upper
chamber on Wednesday.
Leading the debate on the bill, Opeyemi Bamidele, Senate
leader, said the proposed constitutional amendment seeks to create a
decentralised policing system while preserving national cohesion,
accountability, and federal oversight.
Bamidele said the bill was transmitted to the national
assembly by President Bola Tinubu to establish state police services alongside
the existing federal policing structure.
He said the proposed amendment would empower the national
assembly to prescribe national minimum standards for recruitment, training,
vetting, promotions, discipline, use of force, firearms, complaints procedures,
accountability, data management, and professional conduct.
The senate leader said the bill seeks to retain the federal
police for national policing responsibilities while allowing states that choose
to do so to establish their own police services.
According to him, state police services would be responsible
for enforcing state laws, maintaining public safety and public order,
preventing and detecting crimes within their jurisdictions, protecting lives
and property, and carrying out other local policing duties.
He said the federal police would continue to oversee the
protection of federal institutions, counter-terrorism operations, organised
crime, cybercrime, border security, arms trafficking, interstate criminal
activities, and other matters relating to national security.
FEDERAL INTERVENTION TO BE SUBJECT TO OVERSIGHT
Bamidele said the bill clearly defines the circumstances
under which federal authorities may intervene in the affairs of state police
services.
He said such intervention could only occur in cases
involving a breakdown of public order, the inability of a state police service
to function, serious violations of fundamental rights, electoral intimidation,
or threats to national security.
The senate leader said any intervention must be authorised
in writing by the president.
He added that such intervention would be limited in scope
and duration, subject to senate oversight and open to judicial review.
“The bill provides robust safeguards against abuse,
preserves federal authority where necessary, protects constitutional rights and
creates a modern policing framework capable of addressing contemporary security
challenges,” he said.
He added that the proposal seeks “to balance local policing
autonomy with national cohesion, accountability with operational effectiveness
and federal oversight with state responsibility”.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com