Senate Reveals Plan To Prevent Governors From Abusing State Police

The Senate has outlined safeguards to prevent governors from abusing state police powers as it passed constitutional amendments seeking to establish decentralised policing in Nigeria.

Naija News reports that the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, disclosed the measures on Wednesday while leading debate on the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026.

The bill was passed after clause-by-clause consideration and a manual vote, with more than two-thirds of senators supporting it.

It still requires passage by the House of Representatives, approval by state Houses of Assembly and presidential assent to become law.

Bamidele said the bill was designed to ensure governors do not use state police for “partisan, ethnic, religious, sectional, or personal purposes.”

He said state police would enforce state laws, maintain public safety, prevent and detect crimes within their jurisdiction, and protect lives and property.

According to Bamidele, the federal police would remain responsible for federal institutions, counter-terrorism, organised crime, cybercrime, border security, arms trafficking and interstate crimes.

He added that federal police intervention in states would only occur during a breakdown of public order, serious rights violations, electoral intimidation, state police failure or national security threats.

Bamidele said such intervention must be authorised in writing by the President, limited in scope and duration, subject to Senate oversight and open to judicial review.

“The bill provides robust safeguards against abuse, preserves federal authority where necessary, protects constitutional rights, and creates a modern policing framework capable of addressing contemporary security challenges,” he said.

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe said he once opposed state police but now believed it had become necessary due to insecurity.

Aminu Tambuwal and Senate Chief Whip, Tahir Monguno, also backed the bill, saying it would strengthen security at the subnational level.