The Senate is expected to debate and vote today on President Bola Tinubu’s Constitution Alteration Bill seeking the establishment of state police across the country, as retired military and police chiefs continue to express differing views on the proposal.
The bill, which forms part of ongoing efforts to amend the 1999 Constitution and decentralise Nigeria’s policing system, has generated widespread debate over the extent of powers governors should exercise under the proposed security arrangement.
A retired Brigadier-General, Peter Aro, described state police as a necessary security reform rather than a political project, saying responsibilities such as arrest, investigation, intelligence gathering and community security should be handled by state authorities.
“State police should not be treated as a political slogan but as a structured security reform. Arrest, investigation, intelligence gathering and community security should rest with the states,” he said.
Aro, however, cautioned against politically motivated prosecutions and stressed the need for safeguards to prevent abuse of power.
Also speaking, a retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Ali Amodu, said governors would naturally play a major role in state policing because they would be responsible for funding and maintaining the service.
“The governors will have a say in the State Police Service. They will be responsible for the maintenance, the funding and everything associated with it,” he said.
He urged lawmakers to focus on addressing the country’s security challenges rather than concerns about possible misuse of the system.
“The challenges we are facing now are so enormous that we should not be scared of the governor trying to have control. What is important now is that we need effective security more than ever before,” he added.
Similarly, retired Brigadier-General George Edim backed decentralised policing, saying governors should be empowered to tackle security challenges within their states.
“The advantages are far more than the disadvantages. If the governors are properly empowered and the structures are well established, they can take care of the security of their own enclaves,” he said.
However, another retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Wilson Inalegwu, warned against granting excessive powers to governors, insisting that adequate checks and balances must accompany any state police structure.
“Because of the enormous powers of the police, in any democracy, you cannot leave those powers without checks and balances,” he said.
Inalegwu argued that the federal police should continue to handle crimes that transcend state boundaries, including cybercrime, kidnapping, banditry and human trafficking.
A security expert and Chief Executive Officer of Top-Private Security Services Limited, Commodore Omatseye Nesiama (retd.), also advocated the establishment of an independent commission to advise governors on the administration of state police.
“There should be an independent commission that will advise and make recommendations to the state governor regarding the administration and policy formulation,” he said.
Meanwhile, Senate President Godswill Akpabio has urged lawmakers to ensure full attendance for what he described as a landmark constitutional vote.
