President Bola Tinubu has assured Nigerians that the proposed state police will be established with strong safeguards to prevent abuse, as the National Assembly moves closer to finalising the constitutional amendment for decentralised policing.
Speaking on Thursday while receiving traditional rulers from Oyo State led by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, at the State House, Abuja, the President declared: “There will be state police, and that state police will have guardrails from abuses. We will protect it from abuses, and you traditional rulers too will have a role to play more.”
The President also ruled out negotiations with kidnappers or terrorists, disclosing that criminal groups had demanded the release of detained members of their gangs, in addition to ransom, during a recent kidnapping incident. “We refuse to negotiate for ransom. These criminals wanted us to release from detention members of their criminal gangs that were already arrested. That was one of their conditions, outside of the money they’re looking for, and we said no deal. We are not going to negotiate with criminals,” he stated.
The House of Representatives has passed the executive bill seeking to establish state police services, with 311 lawmakers voting in favour of the proposed constitutional amendment. The bill will now proceed through the constitutional amendment process, requiring approval by at least two-thirds of the 36 state houses of assembly before it can be sent to the President for assent.
Concerns over potential abuse by governors and funding challenges have been raised. Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has warned that without constitutional safeguards and institutional independence, state police could become a tool for victimising political opponents and intimidating ordinary citizens. Former Commissioner of Police Balarabe Sule has also warned that the state police architecture could collapse under the weight of funding deficits and executive abuse across many states.