State Police Bill: How NASS caged governors

Nigeria's National Assembly has taken a significant step toward reforming the nation's security architecture by passing the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill. This landmark legislation dismantles the 66-year-old unitary federal policing system, paving the way for the establishment of state police services across the country.

The Senate approved the bill on Wednesday, following an overwhelming vote in the House of Representatives on June 11. The historic vote in the Senate overcame a technical glitch with the electronic voting system, requiring a manual show-of-hands process. The bill alters key constitutional sections to create a dual policing model, comprising a Federal Police Service and individual State Police Services.

A major concern addressed by the bill is the long-standing fear that state governors might weaponize local police forces for political gain, using them to suppress opposition, control media, or manipulate elections. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele emphasized that the bill includes specific "firewalls" to prevent such abuses. While governors will have input on general security policy, the legislation strictly prohibits them from directing state police to unlawfully target individuals, political parties, or groups for partisan, ethnic, religious, or personal reasons. The bill also explicitly bars the use of police powers for political persecution, ensuring that criticism of the government does not lead to arrest or investigation, except under strict legal conditions.

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one of the major concerns regarding the establishment of state police was the potential for political abuse by state governments, and that the bill directly addresses that concern by prohibiting any governor from directing a State Police Service to unlawfully target specific persons, political parties, groups or associations.