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The Senate has incorporated measures into the proposed state police legislation to prevent governors from misusing the new security apparatus, as lawmakers passed the constitutional amendment on Wednesday.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele outlined the provisions during debate on the bill, which seeks to establish a decentralised policing system across Nigeria.
“The bill is intended to retain the Nigeria Police Force for federal policing duties while providing for the establishment of state police services in states that choose to adopt them,” Bamidele said in a statement titled “Senate Adopts Measures to Prevent Abuse of State Police by Governors”.
The bill passed after a clause-by-clause consideration, with more than two-thirds of senators voting in support through a manual process on the chamber floor.
Under the proposed framework, state police would be responsible for enforcing state laws, maintaining public safety, preventing and detecting crimes within their jurisdiction, protecting lives and property, and performing other local policing responsibilities.
Federal police would handle the protection of federal institutions, counter-terrorism, organised crime, cybercrime, border security, arms trafficking, and interstate criminal activities.
The bill also specifies conditions under which federal police could intervene in state security matters.
“The interventionary powers of the federal police could only be activated when there is an outright breakdown of public order in a specific subnational entity, when a state police service is incapable of functioning, when there is a serious violation of fundamental rights, when there is an established record of electoral intimidation, and when national security is under threat,” Bamidele said.
Such intervention, he added, “could only come after the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces authorises it in writing. It would be limited in scope and duration, subject to Senate oversight and open to judicial review.”
“The bill generally seeks to balance local policing autonomy with national cohesion, accountability with operational effectiveness, and federal oversight with state responsibility.
“The bill provides robust safeguards against abuse, preserves federal authority where necessary, protects constitutional rights, and creates a modern policing framework capable of addressing contemporary security challenges.”
