The Osun State House of Assembly has become the first state legislature to approve the proposed constitutional amendment establishing state police. The Assembly unanimously approved the State Police Services Bill on Tuesday. Lawmakers said it would strengthen security at state and local government levels.
Nigeria has debated state police for decades. The 1999 Constitution places policing under federal control. In 2014, the National Conference recommended state police. In 2018, the APC panel on restructuring endorsed it. In 2023, the National Assembly rejected a constitutional amendment to allow it. Governors across parties have called for decentralisation. The argument is that federal police cannot understand local terrain. The counter-argument is that governors will abuse state police for political ends. Both are true.
The National Assembly clarified that only the State Police Services Bill has been transmitted to the 36 state Houses of Assembly. Reports had suggested the full package of proposed constitutional amendments had been forwarded. The Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, said other amendment bills would be transmitted after being passed in identical form by both chambers. This is in line with the constitutional amendment process.
The state police bill was prioritised following public demands for security reform. The insecurity crisis has driven the demand. Kidnappings, banditry and communal violence have overwhelmed federal police. States have created vigilante groups and community watch corps as stopgaps. Amotekun in the southwest, Hisbah in Kano and similar outfits in other states operate in grey areas. State police would formalise these arrangements.
Osun’s approval is the first step. The bill now needs approval from at least 24 state assemblies. Then the National Assembly can pass it. The process is long. Political will is uncertain. Governors want state police. Civil society fears abuse. The police hierarchy opposes decentralisation. The path to a constitutional amendment is narrow.
Winners: Osun State, which shows leadership. Governors, who gain a platform for their demand. Communities, if state police improve response times. Security outfits operating in grey areas, which gain legitimacy. Losers: The federal police, which loses monopoly. Civil society, if safeguards are absent. Opposition parties in states, if governors weaponise state police. Taxpayers, if state police duplicate federal costs.
Bottom Line: Osun approved the state police bill. It is the first. Twenty-three more assemblies are needed. The debate is not about whether state police is good. It is about whether governors can be trusted with it. Nigeria needs security. It also needs safeguards. Both must be built together.