The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has assured Nigerians that the proposed constitutional amendment to establish state police contains safeguards to prevent governors from turning the new security outfits into political tools, insisting that the reform is designed to strengthen community policing while preserving national oversight.
Speaking on Wednesday at the National Security Roundtable during the 2026 National Assembly Open Week in Abuja, Abbas said the House of Representatives would subject the State police bill to rigorous scrutiny to ensure it delivers effective policing without undermining democracy or the rule of law.
The Speaker described the proposal as one of the most consequential constitutional reforms before the National Assembly, noting that it marked the first time a sitting President had formally transmitted an executive bill seeking to establish state police.
He commended President Bola Tinubu for initiating the constitutional amendment, saying previous administrations had debated the issue for decades without taking concrete legislative action.
“For the first time in our history, a sitting president has made state police a central part of national reform. He has done so not with words alone, but with a bill that now sits before the House of Representatives,” he said.
Addressing concerns that governors could abuse state police for political purposes, Abbas said the bill deliberately incorporates multiple layers of constitutional safeguards.
“I understand the concern that many people bring to this discussion, and it is a reasonable one. It is the fear that state police could become the private army of a governor or a political godfather,” he said.
