The push for the establishment of state police gathered fresh momentum on Thursday as governors, lawmakers, security experts and other stakeholders renewed calls for a decentralised policing system to tackle Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
However, the debate was overshadowed by the Social Democratic Party, SDP, which criticised President Bola Tinubu’s decision to appoint his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to chair the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill.
Speaking at the ARISE News and THISDAY Town Hall on State Police and National Security in Abuja, participants agreed that while the proposed constitutional amendment to establish state police represents a significant step towards addressing terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and violent crime, its success would depend on strong legal safeguards, sustainable funding, institutional accountability and community participation.
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The event came barely two days after President Tinubu inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill to develop the legal framework for implementing state police following the Senate’s passage of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026.
The proposed amendment seeks to move policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, allowing states to establish and operate their own police services within a nationally regulated framework.
Speaking during the conference, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, said military operations alone could not end insecurity, stressing the need to combine force with dialogue, intelligence gathering and community engagement.
“You must be able to bring the kinetic and the non-kinetic working together,” he said.
Musa explained that while troops are trained to distinguish between terrorists, bandits and civilians, asymmetric warfare remains difficult because insurgents often hide within communities.
“No country can shoot itself to peace. The kinetic aspect is about 25 to 30 per cent. The non-kinetic, which has to do with dialogue, discussion and understanding, is equally important,” he added.
Senate Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele also backed state police but cautioned that inadequate funding and weak institutional safeguards could undermine the reform.
“If the state police is not well funded, it may as well be a highway to nowhere,” he warned.
He said the constitutional amendment was designed to provide states with the option of establishing their own police services rather than making it compulsory.
Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo argued that the national conversation had moved beyond whether Nigeria should have state police.
“The issue is no longer whether or not to have state police. I think we have gone beyond that. The issue now is how,” he said.
Soludo added that state policing should form part of broader constitutional reforms aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s federal structure.
Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah described the country’s centralised policing system as outdated, saying security reforms should now focus on implementation.
“I think that’s a settled debate. What we really should be talking about is how do we implement?” he said.
Similarly, Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal insisted governors should no longer be held responsible for insecurity without having operational control over security agencies.
“In as much as I am called the chief security officer of the state, I don’t have the command and control structure to determine what happens,” he said.
Former Edo State Governor and Senator Adams Oshiomhole also supported police decentralisation, describing the current arrangement as contradictory.
“I am called the chief security officer, but I have no control over the police. It is like calling me a husband when I have no wife,” he said.
Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan urged lawmakers to ensure that constitutional safeguards are built into the proposed framework to prevent abuse and political intimidation.
“State police should never become an instrument of political oppression or executive intimidation,” she said.
Secretary of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, Dubem Moghalu, explained that the constitutional amendment merely creates the legal pathway for state policing, while the proposed National Policing Bill would establish the operational framework governing recruitment, training, cooperation and national standards.
Meanwhile, the Social Democratic Party faulted Tinubu’s decision to appoint Gbajabiamila to head the committee amid allegations linking him to the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC.
Speaking at the party’s National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja, SDP National Chairman, Prof. Sadiq Gombe, argued that Gbajabiamila should step aside pending the outcome of investigations into the allegations.
“There is no way a public officer will be accused of something of this magnitude and still remain glued to his position,” Gombe said.
He questioned the President’s decision to appoint Gbajabiamila to chair what he described as one of the administration’s most important reform committees despite the controversy.
“I think we need to be decorous. There are many competent Nigerians who can handle this assignment,” he added.
Gombe also criticised the composition of the 12-member committee, alleging regional imbalance and calling for greater inclusiveness.
He maintained that Gbajabiamila should step aside not only as chairman of the committee but also as Chief of Staff to the President to allow an independent investigation.
However, the Presidency has consistently denied the allegations against Gbajabiamila, with President Tinubu reaffirming his confidence in his Chief of Staff and dismissing the claims as unfounded.
If eventually passed by the National Assembly and approved by state legislatures, the proposed reforms are expected to establish a dual federal and state policing system aimed at improving intelligence gathering, strengthening community policing and enhancing accountability while incorporating safeguards against abuse.
