A former senator and prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ayodele Arise, has praised President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly for the rapid approval of the State Police Bill, describing the development as a significant move toward tackling Nigeria’s security problems.
Arise, who represented Ekiti North Senatorial District in the Senate from 2007 to 2011, made the remarks during a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday.
His comments came a day after the Senate passed the proposed legislation, aligning with the House of Representatives and advancing efforts to establish state-controlled police services across the country.
Under the proposed constitutional amendment, the bill will require endorsement by at least 24 state legislatures before becoming law. Once implemented, it will end the Federal Government’s sole authority over policing and grant states the power to create, finance and administer their own police formations, subject to national standards established by the National Assembly.
Speaking to journalists, Arise expressed optimism that state policing would improve security at the grassroots level and enable quicker responses to threats within communities.
He said, “It is a very welcome development. Having state police is a much-needed measure to reduce the security threats we face in the country.
“There is no way security challenges will be eliminated. But kudos to Mr President for being very proactive on this issue as we continue to battle the challenges of insecurity in the country.
“The President has been at the forefront of ensuring that solutions are provided to meet these challenges and eliminate the existence of these bad elements, as well as the ability of the Federal Police to respond quickly.
“So, local police, which normally constitute people in the local area serving as policemen or as security agents on behalf of the government, already know the community and people who reside in the community; they know the nooks and crannies of those communities.”
The APC chieftain argued that officers recruited from local communities would possess better knowledge of their environments, making intelligence gathering more effective and strengthening overall security operations.
Addressing fears that governors could exploit state police for political purposes, Arise acknowledged that such concerns were valid.
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However, he maintained that constitutional safeguards could be introduced to prevent abuse of the system.
He stressed the importance of building strong oversight mechanisms before the new policing framework takes effect, noting that both lawmakers and citizens have a role to play in ensuring accountability.
According to him, “Many of the objections are legitimate concerns, but most of the Federal states we know around the world, like the United States and Canada, have this multi-layered policing system that has worked for them over the years.
Some have had democracy for over 250 years, and the multiple layers of policing states, communities, counties and campuses up to the federal exists side by side.
“So, the challenges are there, especially now that we are just trying to experiment with it. You and I know the policing has been under the federal government for a long time.
So, it is our responsibility to ensure that we put a few checks and balances here and there to curtail the excesses of any governor who intends to use the Police against the people of his state.
“Of course, it might not be too apparent, but someone like me will suggest that in appointing the Police Chief, there should be an input from the legislature. We know many governors control the legislative houses as it stands today.
But we can have a state police commission that recommends two or three names for the governor to choose from. That option could then be passed to the state legislature for ratification,” he said.
The State Police Bill is considered one of the most significant security-related reforms under the ongoing constitutional review process.
Supporters believe decentralising policing will enhance responses to local security issues, while critics continue to warn about the possibility of political interference by state governments.