A bill seeking to establish state police and transfer policing powers to subnational governments in order to strengthen internal security architecture across the federation on Thursday scaled through the second reading at the Senate.
The bill, which enjoys broad support among all senators across political divides, was referred to the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio for further consideration and scrutiny.
Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele led the debate on the state police bill, highlighting the national significance of creating a state police among the dwindling power of the Nigeria Police to ensure internal stability.
Nigeria had unprecedented security challenges ranging errorism and violent extremism to banditry and mass abductions; farmer-herder conflicts; cultism and gang violence; armed robbery; pipeline vandalism and economic sabotage; communal clashes; and emerging cyber-enabled crimes.
Consequently, Nigerians had called for the establishment of state police, citing the inability of a centralised policing structure to adequately respond to the complex, evolving and localised security threats facing our communities.
In response to public demands, Bamidele sponsored the state police bill as one of the measures to strengthen internal security architecture across the federation.
Bamidele noted that the bill seeks to modernise Nigeria’s security architecture by establishing Federal and State Police structures.
He added that the new bill also defines their respective responsibilities; created State Police Service Commissions; provided oversight mechanisms; transferred policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List and strengthened cooperative federalism in security administration.
He, specifically, explained that the proposed amendment “does not weaken national unity. Rather, it strengthens the Federation by enabling each level of government to effectively discharge its constitutional responsibilities.”
Bamidele, however, acknowledged that one of the major concerns often raised against State Police “is the possibility of abuse by state governments. This Bill adequately addresses those concerns through several safeguards.”
The safeguards, according to Bamidele, include establishment of State Police Service Commissions; federal oversight through the Federal Police Service Commission; uniform national policing standards and legislative confirmation of senior appointments.
He also identified strengthening constitutional procedures for removal of state commissioners of police; periodic certification and review of State Police operations; and federal intervention mechanisms in situations of complete breakdown of law and order as parts of the safeguards to prevent the abuse of state police by the state governments.
Bamidele noted that all the safeguards “are intended to create a balanced framework that combines operational autonomy with accountability and constitutional oversight.”
He, thus, argued that security “is most effective when it is local. The individuals who understand the terrain, language, culture and peculiar security dynamics of a community are often best positioned to detect criminal activities before they escalate.”
He added that the establishment of state police “will improve intelligence gathering: Local police officers are better equipped to obtain actionable intelligence from communities because they understand local languages, customs and social structures.
“Modern policing relies heavily on intelligence rather than force. State Police will significantly strengthen Nigeria’s intelligence architecture,” the senate leader made a strong case for the establishment of a state police system.”
He further argued that state police would facilitate rapid response to security threats, saying the centralised command structure “often creates bureaucratic delays in responding to emergencies. State Police formations will possess operational flexibility to respond swiftly to security incidents within their jurisdictions.
“It will promote community policing. Effective policing requires trust between law enforcement and the public. State police will foster stronger community partnerships and improve public confidence in law enforcement institutions.
“It will also relieve pressure on the Federal Police: The Federal Police currently bears responsibility for policing the entire nation. Establishing State Police will allow the Federal Police to focus on interstate crimes; errorism; organised criminal networks; border security; cybercrime; protection of federal assets and national security operations.
“It will strengthen Nigeria’s federal structure. Nigeria operates a federal system of government. Under a true federation, powers and responsibilities should be appropriately shared among different levels of government. Most mature federations maintain sub-national police institutions alongside federal law enforcement agencies.”
He argued that several federal nations “successfully operate multi-layered policing systems,” noting that Nigeria should not remain an exception among federal systems.
He cited the case of the United States, where policing “is undertaken by federal, state, county and municipal agencies. In Canada, provinces maintain their own policing arrangements alongside federal policing institutions.
“In Australia, each state maintains its own police force while the federal government retains national policing responsibilities. In Germany, state police services operate alongside federal security agencies. As such, Nigeria should not remain an exception among federal systems,” Bamidele pointed out.
After Bamidele’s lead debate, senators, mostly from the north, spoke in favour of the establishment of state police, saying its creation would provide a lasting solution to the insecurity in the country.
In his contribution, Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Tahir Monguno expressed strong support for the proposed state police Bill, saying its passage would help address the proliferation of various vigilante groups operating across the country.
The lawmaker said the bill “will provide a legal framework for the establishment and operation of state police, enabling them to effectively discharge their responsibilities while ensuring proper regulation and accountability.” – Arise.
