Constitution Review Chair says decentralized policing will exploit local intelligence to crush crime.
Strict safeguards embedded in bill to checkmate political manipulation by governors.
Federal Police to retain control over terrorism, cybercrime, and interstate offenses.
The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, has declared the creation of state police as a vital structural shift necessary to address the security challenges currently facing Nigeria.
Speaking in an interview with *Radio Nigeria Kaduna*, Senator Barau explained that the decentralized system would reinforce the nation’s security architecture by integrating locally recruited officers who possess an intimate understanding of the terrain, language, and security dynamics of their respective communities.
Barau, who also chairs the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, disclosed that the bill was not conceived in a vacuum but emerged from intensive national consensus-building.
“The State Police Bill recently passed by the Senate followed wide consultations involving the Presidency, the National Assembly, the Inspector-General of Police, retired police officers, security experts, governors, civil society groups, and members of the public,” Barau stated.
To ensure the legislation represents the popular will of the people, he added that the constitutional review committee hosted public hearings across all six geopolitical zones and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to harvest inputs before the bill was tabled for legislative debate.
### Safeguards Against Abuse
Addressing widespread fears that state governors might weaponize local police against political opponents, the Deputy Senate President assured that robust checks and balances have been engineered into the proposal.
Under the new framework, the President retains the constitutional authority to order the Federal Police to intervene and restore order if a state police command is misused to harass citizens or threaten public peace.
Furthermore, a clear line of jurisdiction has been drawn: the Federal Police will remain the supreme authority on national security issues, including counter-terrorism, cybercrime, and other federal offenses. State police forces will focus strictly on maintaining local law and order within their state boundaries.
To insulate the system from political interference, Barau noted that the appointment of state police commandants would follow a transparent legal process rather than being subject to the whims of state executives.
Expressing optimism that adequate funding and institutional support would be secured as the constitutional amendment progresses, Barau urged Nigerians to back the initiative, describing it as a “well-considered and consultative reform” aimed at bringing security closer to the grassroots.
