The Senate has assured Nigerians that legislative efforts to create the constitutional framework for state police will be expedited as concerns over insecurity continue to grow across the country.
The commitment comes against the backdrop of increasing incidents of banditry, kidnappings, and violent attacks in several parts of Nigeria, prompting renewed calls for the decentralization of policing.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu, disclosed in an interview that the upper chamber is ready to fast-track constitutional amendments required to establish state police. He said the initiative is aimed at strengthening the nation’s security structure by empowering state governments with localized policing mechanisms.
“Very soon. As I earlier told you, the Senate is fully prepared to commence the constitutional processes for the establishment of state police without delay. We will ensure that the necessary legislative stamina is accorded to the establishment of state police, so as to keep Nigerians safe and secure, and drive out rampaging bandits and other social marauders,” the Punch quoted Adaramodu.
The renewed push for state police follows the mass abduction that occurred on May 15 in Oyo State, where armed attackers reportedly stormed three schools in the Ahoro-Esinle and Yawota communities of Oriire Local Government Area. The assailants abducted numerous pupils and teachers before fleeing into nearby forest reserves.
The incident has heightened demands for urgent reforms to Nigeria’s centralized policing system, with advocates arguing that state-controlled law enforcement would improve response times and security coordination at the local level.
Adaramodu noted that the Senate remains committed to collaborating closely with the executive arm of government to enhance national security. He added that preliminary steps toward the decentralization of policing have already begun.
“The Senate is fully prepared to commence the constitutional processes for the establishment of state police without delay. The legislature is desirous of supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Nigerian public on this.”
