State Police May Fail Without Financial Autonomy- Senate Leader
Senate Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, has cautioned that the proposed state police system may become ineffective if adequate funding and financial independence are not guaranteed.
Bamidele warned that without a sustainable funding structure, state police could be exposed to undue influence from politicians, wealthy individuals, businesses and criminal elements, thereby weakening its ability to effectively protect Nigerians.
The lawmaker gave the warning while speaking at the ARISE NEWS Townhall on State Police, on Thursday.
He stressed that funding would be a major factor in determining the success or failure of the proposed security arrangement.
“If the state police is not well funded, it may as well be a highway to nowhere,” Bamidele said.
He explained that the constitutional amendment being considered by the National Assembly was not aimed at forcing every state to immediately establish its own police force, but to provide the legal framework that would allow states to do so.
According to him, the proposed amendment seeks to move policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, giving states the constitutional backing to create their own police services if they choose.
“It’s not every state that will immediately, after we finish amending this constitution, go to town to say, ‘We’re launching our state police.’ All we are trying to achieve with this constitutional amendment is to move this duty from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list,” he said.
Bamidele acknowledged concerns over possible misuse of state police, describing such fears as legitimate given Nigeria’s political history.
He said lawmakers must ensure that adequate safeguards are included in the legal framework to prevent abuse and guarantee accountability.
“The various concerns that have been expressed from different quarters are well-founded concerns that we cannot sweep under the carpet or pretend that they are not real,” he stated.
The senator said accountability would require both effective legislation and active participation from citizens and civil society groups in monitoring the operations of state police.
“When it comes to issues of accountability, it’s something that will have to be addressed, both at the level of legislative intervention, through the law, as well as vigilance on the part of the Nigerian people,” he added.
He further warned that the risk of interference was not limited to government officials, noting that poorly funded state police could also be vulnerable to control by private interests and criminal networks.
“It’s not only state actors or politicians that can abuse this. Business class, some other organisations, even criminals can abuse it, because he who pays the piper dictates the tune,” Bamidele said.
To prevent such scenarios, the Senate leader proposed constitutional and legal measures that would guarantee state police a stable source of revenue independent of governors’ discretion.
He suggested that the law could provide for a fixed percentage of state budgets to be allocated to policing, with clear guidelines on how the funds would be accessed and managed.
“We must have a situation where there will be some first-line provisions in our law. The police chief and the police service commission must have a guaranteed source of income in a way that it will not be subject to the whims and caprices of a sitting governor,” he said.
Bamidele also noted that constitutional amendment alone would not be enough to establish an effective state police system, adding that further legislation would be needed to define its structure, operations and relationship with other security agencies.
“We must see beyond constitutional amendment, because once the constitution has been amended, what is next?” he asked.
He said amendments to the Police Act and other relevant laws would be required to address operational issues and create a comprehensive framework for state policing.
The senator added that lawmakers would also need to clarify the roles of existing paramilitary organisations and determine how they would work alongside state police.
“Also, we must address what becomes of the other organisations, especially including paramilitary organisations that were created for the purpose of helping to maintain law and order,” he said.
According to Bamidele, the primary goal of state police is to strengthen community policing and improve security at the grassroots level.
He, however, warned that decentralised policing would have limited impact without genuine local government autonomy.
“The whole essence of trying to emphasise on the move for state policing is because we want community policing.
“If we do not address the issue of local government autonomy, we will not have achieved much, even with the creation of state police,” he said.
Bamidele said the National Assembly had considered international best practices while working towards developing a minimum national standard that would guide the operation of state police across the country.
He added that Nigeria had reached a point where state police was necessary but insisted that its establishment must be backed by strong laws, proper funding and mechanisms to prevent abuse.
“We are at a stage now where we must bring this to reality,” he said.
The push for the creation of state police has gained renewed momentum in Nigeria amid growing concerns over insecurity and calls for a more decentralised policing system.
The National Assembly is currently considering constitutional reforms that would move policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, allowing states to establish their own police services.
Supporters of state police argue that local control would improve intelligence gathering and enable security agencies to respond faster to community-specific threats.
However, critics have raised concerns over possible political interference, abuse of power and the risk of using state police as tools against opponents.
