Retired military and police chiefs have expressed differing views on the extent of powers governors should wield under the proposed policing structure, warning that while decentralised policing could strengthen security, adequate safeguards must be put in place to prevent abuse.
Their positions come amid renewed calls by state governors for greater constitutional authority over security operations within their states and guaranteed funding arrangements for the proposed State Police Services.
On Tuesday, the state governors were seeking greater constitutional authority over security operations within their domains and guaranteed funding arrangements for the proposed State Police Services, according to a report of a high-level strategic meeting involving state Attorneys-General, legal experts and senior security officials convened by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat in Abuja last week.
Also on Tuesday, President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, rallied his colleagues to ensure full attendance as the National Assembly prepares for what could become one of the most consequential constitutional votes in Nigeria’s democratic history — the proposed amendment to establish state police services across the federation on Wednesday (today).
Akpabio’s move followed President Bola Tinubu’s formal transmission of the Constitution Alteration Bill seeking the creation of State Police Services.
The proposed amendment is expected to be debated when the Senate reconvenes today.
Commenting on the development, retired Brigadier General Peter Aro said state police should be viewed as a deliberate security reform rather than a political project, arguing that governors must be given sufficient powers to address local security challenges while operating within clearly defined limits.
