To address the escalating insecurity threatening Nigeria’s stability, the National Assembly is actively drafting legal frameworks for the establishment of state police. This legislative initiative, announced by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, aims to decentralize policing and empower states to play a more active role in maintaining internal security.
“The Authority of the National Assembly is in the process of developing legal frameworks for the establishment of state police as one of the measures to address insecurity in the country,” Bamidele stated in a press release issued through his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The Senate Leader emphasized the urgency of the situation, calling for immediate and practical reforms to tackle the nation’s security challenges. He also urged security agencies to adopt a unified front in tracking and apprehending those responsible for terrorism and criminal activities nationwide.
“We need a cohesive and strategic approach,” Bamidele noted, “one that aligns the efforts of all security agencies to effectively combat these threats.”
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Bamidele further addressed the harmful narratives propagated by some political and sectional leaders, cautioning against the exploitation of national challenges for partisan gains. “No country develops as a result of one section rising up against another,” he said. “Such actors are no longer playing opposition politics but simply taking advantage of the country’s internal conditions in pursuit of their own parochial political outcomes.”
The Senate Leader reiterated the National Assembly’s commitment to building a peaceful, progressive, and prosperous Nigeria. “Nigeria is our ultimate project, and as a parliament, we are committed to the actualization of this project,” he affirmed. “This is evident in all the legislative initiatives we are pushing since the birth of the 10th National Assembly.”
This move to establish state police is not without precedent. A similar bill was introduced by former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu (PDP, Enugu) during the Eighth Senate, proposing a dual policing structure. However, that bill did not ultimately pass.
The current legislative effort signals a renewed determination to address the nation’s security challenges through decentralized policing. The proposed frameworks aim to create a more localized and responsive law enforcement system, tailored to the specific needs and circumstances of each state.
“We are calling on leaders from all backgrounds—religious, political, and ethnic—to refrain from making inflammatory remarks that could jeopardize national unity,” Bamidele concluded. “Instead, let us focus on defeating the common enemies of insecurity, poverty, and disunity.”
The National Assembly’s ongoing efforts to establish state police represent a pivotal step in Nigeria’s quest for enhanced security and stability. The success of this initiative will depend on the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders, from security agencies to political leaders and the general public.
