A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ayodele Arise, on Saturday called on the Presidency to prioritise the establishment of state police as part of efforts to address Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.
Arise made the appeal while speaking on a live programme on Arise TV, where he stressed that collaboration between the Federal Government and state governors would be critical in securing broad support for decentralised policing.
His remarks followed renewed calls by Bola Tinubu for the National Assembly to commence the process of embedding state policing in the Constitution. The President had, during an interfaith breaking of fast with senators at the State House, Abuja, urged lawmakers to begin constitutional steps that would enable subnational governments to better secure their territories. He reiterated the request at a subsequent meeting with the leadership of the House of Representatives.
Reacting to the development, Arise said effective communication of the gains and potential drawbacks of state police would be necessary, noting that the proposal had historically generated controversy across different parts of the country.
“In the interest of our country and in response to the security challenges we have been facing, President Bola Tinubu has always seen the merit in state policing, which is actually the best way we can deter criminals and their cells in our communities,” he said.
According to him, local police formations would be better positioned to identify threats and gather intelligence because of their familiarity with communities.
He expressed confidence that the National Assembly would back the amendment, describing the President as strategic in navigating legislative processes.
The former lawmaker also called for extensive public enlightenment to address fears surrounding decentralised policing. He recalled that an attempt to introduce state police during the 2010 constitutional amendment process met stiff resistance but argued that growing insecurity had made more Nigerians receptive to the idea.
Arise proposed that the constitutional amendment should begin with a review of Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution to move policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List, allowing both federal and state governments to operate police structures.
READ ALSO: Gov Yusuf Backs State Police as Kano Unveils 2,000-Strong Community Corps
“That will solve the problem; the federal government will have its police while the states can have their police. People must understand that the fact that we have state police doesn’t completely erase the federal police,” he said.
He noted that the amendment would require ratification by at least two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly, expressing optimism that the process could be concluded within months, given the APC’s majority in the National Assembly and control of most states.
Addressing concerns that governors might deploy state police to harass political opponents, Arise advocated strong oversight mechanisms and judicial safeguards to prevent abuse.
He argued that existing checks and balances, including judicial review and post-tenure accountability, could deter potential misuse of state-controlled security outfits.
The push for state police has gained renewed momentum amid persistent security challenges across various parts of the country, with proponents insisting that decentralised policing would strengthen grassroots intelligence and response capacity.