The senate on Wednesday passed a constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police across the country.

The bill was approved after lawmakers considered and adopted its 26 clauses during the committee of the whole.

The proposed law seeks to create a constitutional framework for state-controlled police services alongside the existing federal policing structure.

The bill aims to strengthen security, improve intelligence gathering and enable faster responses to local security threats.

Opening debate on the bill, the senate leader, Opeyemi Bamidele,  said the proposed legislation was an executive bill transmitted by President Bola Tinubu.

He described the legislation as one of the most significant constitutional reforms since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule.

“This important Bill is an Executive Bill transmitted by Mr. President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, seeking to alter the Constitution to provide for the establishment of State Police Services and other related matters,” he said.

“This Bill represents one of the most significant constitutional reforms in our nation’s democratic evolution. It addresses a long-standing national conversation on the structure, effectiveness, responsiveness and sustainability of policing in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

He said the current centralised policing structure had come under pressure due to the increasing complexity of security threats across the country.

“The increasing complexity of security threats, which include terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, communal conflicts, farmer-herder clashes, cybercrime, organised criminal networks and other transnational crimes, have placed enormous pressure on the existing policing framework,” Bamidele said.

He said the proposed amendments would preserve the federal police while creating constitutional pathways for states to establish their own police services.

According to him, states that choose to establish police services would be required to do so through legislation passed by their houses of assembly and meet national minimum standards prescribed by the national assembly.

He said the federal police would retain responsibility for counter-terrorism, organised crime, cybercrime, border security, arms trafficking, policing of the federal capital territory and other national security matters.

The lawmaker added that state police services would be responsible for enforcing state laws, maintaining public order, preventing and detecting crimes within their jurisdictions and protecting lives and property.

Bamidele said the bill contains safeguards against political abuse by prohibiting governors from directing state police services to unlawfully target individuals, political parties, groups or associations.

He added that the legislation prohibits the use of police powers for partisan, ethnic, religious, sectional or personal purposes.

‘MY POSITION ON STATE POLICE HAS CHANGED’

Contributing to the debate, Enyinnaya Abaribe, senator representing Abia south, said he previously opposed the creation of state police but had changed his position because of the country’s worsening security situation.

“Mr. President, I used to be one of those that is against state police. Mark my words; I used to be,” he said.

”But today, we know that we have very serious insecurity problem that can only be solved by thinking outside the box. And I think that this is part of it.”

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Abaribe said the greater concern lies in the provisions of the proposed police legislation that would operationalise the constitutional amendment.

“But our issue on this is actually what goes into the police act. It’s not really the amendment of the constitution. Because you can amend the constitution but then in the act, matters of usage of the police is where most Nigerians are bothered about,” he said.

The opposition lawmaker warned against granting excessive powers to the president to take over a state police service.

“We cannot have a situation where the president just looks at a state, maybe he’s not in good terms with the governor, and decides that he will take it over,” he said.

Abaribe also raised concerns about funding arrangements for state police services.

He said allocations meant for state police commissions should be guaranteed by the constitution and paid directly to the commissions to prevent political interference.

“So that what we are seeing today, with regard to local government funds, we don’t have to see it with the police,” he said.

“I support this bill and I ask my colleagues to please also support it, provided we put the safeguards that we guarantee each Nigerian his rights.”

‘STATE POLICE WILL STRENGTHEN FEDERALISM’

Aminu Tambuwal, senator representing Sokoto south, said he had consistently supported state police as part of efforts to deepen federalism in Nigeria.

“Mr. President, let me make it clear that I am in support of this bill and I am in support of the idea of state police,” he said.

“I have been consistent on this, not only when I was in the House of Reps as Speaker and as Governor of Sokoto State, even while here in the Senate, in the number of interviews I granted, I alluded to the fact that I support state police because I believe that that will also be a major leap into entrenchment of federalism in Nigeria.”

Tambuwal cited attacks in Sokoto state as evidence of the need for alternative security approaches.

“Only about three or four years ago, in my senatorial district, we lost over 80 people in Dange Shuni local government. Only three or four days ago, in the same local government, we lost some personnel of police that were there on rescue mission to send away bandits,” he said.

“So that is a clear picture of what is happening in most parts of the country. This is needed. Every effort, any effort to curb this menace of insecurity in Nigeria is needed.”

Tambuwal echoed Abaribe’s concerns about safeguards against abuse by state authorities.

“We must have safeguards that will now ensure that there is no abuse on the part of those who are today in that position that we have left. And those who are coming, even those from amongst us, to this position of being governors of particular states,” he said.

The legislator urged lawmakers to support all efforts aimed at improving security across the country.

“I believe that the Senate of this country, we must ensure that we support Mr. President, support the security agencies in every effort that will establish security in every part of this country,” he said.

For the constitutional amendments to take effect, the bill must secure the approval of at least two-thirds of the state houses of assembly before being transmitted to the president for assent.