Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, and some prominent Nigerians have allayed the widespread fears that the state police could be compromised.

They also disclosed that the National Assembly is proposing constitutional guarantees for the financial autonomy of state police services as part of ongoing efforts to amend the 1999 Constitution.

Bamidele insisted that funding must be placed on a first-line charge to shield the proposed security architecture from political and financial manipulation.

Bamidele, who is also Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, said the proposed safeguards were aimed at ensuring that state police services would not become tools in the hands of governors, influential business interests, criminal syndicates or other powerful groups.

In a statement issued yesterday by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, the Senate Leader acknowledged widespread concerns expressed by stakeholders over the proposed creation of state police, describing them as legitimate and deserving of careful consideration.

According to him, many of the fears stem from Nigeria’s experience during the First Republic, when the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions empowered regional governments to establish and control their own police forces, leading to allegations of abuse and political persecution.

Bamidele said the National Assembly was addressing those concerns through a multi-layered framework that would promote institutional independence, fiscal autonomy and operational discipline for the proposed state police services.

He disclosed that lawmakers were considering a constitutional provision that would make funding for state police a first-line charge, similar to the funding arrangement for the judiciary.

He argued that leaving the funding of state police entirely at the discretion of state governors could undermine their effectiveness, particularly when disagreements arise between police leadership and political authorities.

The Senate Leader further assured Nigerians that the National Assembly was committed to establishing a state police system that would be accountable to the public and address all legitimate concerns raised during consultations on the constitutional amendment.

He stressed that adequate and guaranteed funding would be critical to the success of any decentralised policing system, warning that establishing state police without sustainable financing would weaken their capacity to discharge constitutional responsibilities.

He, however, cautioned that concerns over state police should not be limited to the possibility of political abuse.

According to him, poorly funded state police services could also become vulnerable to undue influence from wealthy individuals, organised business interests, criminal networks and entrenched cabals.

“Business class can also abuse it. Some other organisations, even criminals or cabals, can abuse state police service because it is a question of ‘he who pays the piper dictates the tune.’

If a state police service is not well funded by any means, we have a situation where it may as well be a highway to nowhere. That is one thing all of us must prevent,” he said.

IN his remarks at National Security Roundtable yesterday, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, came up with similar argument, allaying the fears of Nigerians,

He insisted that the Executive Bill before the National Assembly contains extensive constitutional safeguards to prevent governors or political actors from hijacking state-controlled security outfits.

At the roundtable held as part of the 2026 National Assembly Open Week at the National Assembly Library Trust Fund in Abuja, Abbas said fears that state police could become the private army of a governor or a political godfather were legitimate concerns anticipated and addressed by the drafters of the constitutional amendment bill.

The Speaker explained that under the proposed constitutional amendment, the appointment and removal of a state’s Commissioner of Police would not be left solely in the hands of governors.

Abbas noted that the bill would provide mechanisms for federal intervention where a state police service becomes compromised, while also protecting the autonomy of elected state institutions.

The Speaker said the roundtable was convened to examine what he described as one of the most significant constitutional questions facing Nigeria.

Abbas commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for transmitting the Executive Bill on state police to the National Assembly, describing the move as the first concrete attempt by a sitting president to address the issue through constitutional reform.

According to Abbas, Nigeria’s present policing arrangement can no longer adequately respond to the country’s complex security challenges.

He identified banditry, kidnapping, farmer-herder clashes and attacks on schools as security challenges requiring local knowledge and community-based responses.

Explaining key provisions of the proposed legislation, the Speaker said the bill sought to rename the Nigeria Police Force as the Federal Police Service while allowing states to establish their own police services if they choose.

Former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (Rtd.), called for a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s security architecture, urging greater investment in intelligence gathering, stronger institutional collaboration, and the responsible deployment of technology.

Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, advocated intelligence-led policing, stronger inter-agency collaboration and greater use of technology, including artificial intelligence, biometric identification and predictive analytics, to strengthen national security.

House Leader, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, urged the integration of traditional rulers and community-based organisations into Nigeria’s security framework, arguing that grassroots institutions possess valuable local intelligence needed to combat insecurity.

Etsu Nupe and Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, Brig.-Gen. Yahaya Abubakar (Rtd), endorsed the proposed state police initiative, describing it as a critical step towards improving community security and strengthening Nigeria’s overall security architecture.