Senate President Godswill Akpabio has cautioned governors against abusing the powers of state police once the proposed security structure becomes operational.
Akpabio issued the warning during Tuesday’s plenary session as the National Assembly moved closer to approving the establishment of state police as part of efforts to address insecurity across the country.
His remarks came after President Bola Tinubu transmitted a Constitution Alteration Bill to the National Assembly seeking the creation of state police.
The Senate is expected to consider and pass the state police bill on Wednesday as part of ongoing constitutional reforms aimed at decentralizing policing in Nigeria.
Speaking on the proposal, Akpabio stressed the need for safeguards to prevent political misuse of state-controlled police forces by governors and future administrations.
“Many of us would like to return to our states after leaving office without fear of the state police. Even current governors will one day leave office and should not be afraid of the police structure they helped create,” he said.
The Senate President noted that Nigeria has, since independence in 1960, maintained a centralized policing system and lacked the political will to decentralize law enforcement.
According to him, the implementation of state police will occur in two stages. The first will involve constitutional amendments establishing the framework, while the second will be the enactment of an Act of Parliament outlining operational guidelines and safeguards.
Akpabio said the additional legislation would define the modalities of state policing and provide mechanisms to prevent abuse of power while ensuring accountability.
The proposed state police system is widely seen as part of broader efforts to strengthen security architecture and improve responses to local security challenges across the federation.