Nigeria's Deputy Speaker assures EU on state police bill safeguards

Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu has moved to allay international concerns regarding Nigeria's proposed state police bill, assuring European Union envoys that the legislation contains robust safeguards against political abuse and ensures accountability. Kalu, who also chairs the House Committee on Constitution Review, made these remarks during a reception hosted by the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, in Abuja.

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And to legitimate concerns about abuse; concerns we have heard, including from partners in this room, the bill responds not with assurances but with architecture. Our objective is not simply to decentralise policing; it is to constitutionalise accountability.

Kalu acknowledged the fears that state governors might misuse state-controlled police forces against political opponents. He stated that the bill directly addresses these concerns through constitutional checks and institutional oversight mechanisms, rather than relying solely on assurances. "Our objective is not simply to decentralise policing; it is to constitutionalise accountability," Kalu explained, emphasizing the built-in "guardrails" to prevent abuse.

The establishment of state police remains a contentious issue in Nigeria, with proponents arguing that the current centralized policing structure is inadequate for the nation's escalating insecurity. Critics, however, worry about the potential for political repression by state governments. Kalu countered these fears by highlighting Nigeria's vast size and population, which he argued make the current system unsustainable.

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We have put guardrails in the way the state police are going to be operated. The guardrails will not allow any abuse.

"Nigeria is a federation of 923,768 square kilometres, home to more than 230 million people... yet it remains policed by a single, centrally commanded force," Kalu noted. He drew parallels with other large federations like Germany, India, Canada, and Australia, which practice local policing coordinated nationally. "Our proposal follows that settled wisdom: a constitutional framework allowing states to establish their own police services, with defined jurisdictions, independent oversight, professional recruitment standards, and coordinated command," he added.

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Nigeria is a federation of 923,768 square kilometres, home to more than 230 million people by United Nations estimates, yet it remains policed by a single, centrally commanded force, stretched far below the United Nations’ recommended ratio of one police officer to every 450 citizens.

Kalu further argued for the local knowledge of officers, stating, "the officer who comes from a community knows its roads, its markets, its people, its tensions. The officer who knows the forest will police the forest."

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No other federation of our size operates this way; from Germany to India, from Canada to Australia, the world’s great federations police locally and coordinate nationally.