The Senate has approved measures to prevent state governors from using state police powers for partisan, ethnic, religious, or personal purposes as part of ongoing amendments to the 1999 Constitution. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele outlined the safeguards on Wednesday while presenting the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026. The bill, submitted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, aims to balance local policing autonomy with federal oversight and national cohesion.
Under the proposed framework, state police forces would handle enforcement of state laws, public safety, local crime prevention, and property protection. The federal police will retain authority over counter-terrorism, organised crime, cybercrime, border security, arms trafficking, and interstate criminal activities. The National Assembly would set national minimum standards for recruitment, training, vetting, promotions, discipline, use of force, firearms, complaints, accountability, data management, and professional conduct.
Bamidele, also Vice Chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, said the bill ensures federal intervention in state policing only under specific conditions, such as a breakdown of public order or proven electoral intimidation. Such intervention requires written presidential authorisation, is limited in scope and duration, and remains subject to Senate oversight and judicial review.
Support for the bill spans party lines. Eyinnaya Abaribe, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, acknowledged he was initially opposed to state police but now supports it due to worsening security conditions. Waziri Tambuwal, former Sokoto State Governor and current Chairman of the Senate Committee on Housing, reaffirmed his long-standing support for local policing. Senate Chief Whip Tahir Monguno urged broader legislative backing to address security challenges in sub-national areas.
Opeyemi Bamidele champions safeguards against state police abuse while backing a system that allows governors to control such forces. The same governors who would command state police are the ones the bill seeks to restrain from partisan or personal misuse of power. This creates a direct conflict between oversight and operational control. The bill's success hinges on governors submitting to federal standards they may have little interest in enforcing.
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