Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo has urged comprehensive reforms in the judiciary to support the proposed establishment of state police. Speaking remotely at the Arise News Townhall on Building a National Consensus for State Police, Soludo argued that discussions on state policing must include parallel reforms in the judicial structure. He stressed that the police and judiciary function jointly within the justice system and that sustainability of state police depends on a restructured judicial framework. Soludo pointed out that currently, all state-level judicial matters are escalated to federal appellate bodies, including the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, creating delays. He cited land disputes in Anambra as examples of cases that could be resolved faster if state-level appeal and supreme courts existed. According to Soludo, some cases take over 40 years to conclude because they are funneled through federal courts, whereas state courts could deliver faster judgments.
Soludo advocated for the creation of state appeal courts and state supreme courts to handle intra-state legal matters. He emphasized that devolution of power must be matched with adequate funding, criticizing the current revenue allocation formula. He noted that states receive only 26 percent of federal revenue, which he described as insufficient for managing expanded responsibilities like state policing. The governor called for an increase in states' share to 40 percent, proposing a revenue distribution model resembling a pyramid where states receive a larger portion. He maintained that without corresponding financial and judicial reforms, the idea of state police would lack sustainability. Soludo reiterated that the conversation on state police should not be isolated from broader structural reforms in both the judiciary and fiscal federalism.
Soludo pushes for state police while acknowledging the judiciary remains under federal control, exposing a gap between his proposal and existing legal structures. If state courts do not exist to handle appeals, state police investigations could still end up in distant federal courts, defeating the purpose of localisation. His call for 40 percent revenue share links financial autonomy to judicial and security reforms, framing sustainability as dependent on both. Without concurrent constitutional amendments, the proposal remains functionally constrained.
💡 NaijaBuzz Take is AI-assisted editorial opinion, not established fact. Full disclaimer →
