By James Adamu
The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has revealed that President Bola Tinubu, the Inspector-General of Police, and other key security chiefs are fully supportive of the proposed state police framework
This is even as he revealed that the National Assembly prepares to give its final approval to the constitutional amendment before the end of this week.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, Mr Bamidele, who also serves as the vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, confirmed that extensive consultations with critical stakeholders have concluded, paving the way for the Senate to vote on the creation of state police within days.
“We came to a conclusion that we’re going to pass the constitutional amendment in respect to make a provision for the state police and if I can tell you as of today, that will come to creation this very week because there’s no need to allow any further delay,” the Senate Leader declared.
According to Mr Bamidele, the proposed creation of state police has enjoyed high-level support from the presidency and the security establishment.
He disclosed that federal lawmakers have held several meetings in recent weeks with President Tinubu, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, as well as the Chief of Staff to the President.
He explained that the final report from the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, chaired by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, will be presented and isolated from other constitutional amendment bills to ensure an expedited voting process.
“There have been a series of meetings between the National Assembly. And when I said the National Assembly, I mean the team of the National Assembly led by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, Barau Jibrin and the chairman of the House Committee is Ben Kalu, representing the National Assembly.
“They had been in a series of meetings with the office of Attorney-General, with the chief of staff, the president, the inspector general of police and other stakeholders in the last one week, and that is why I can sit here to tell you that we’re pursuing that this week,” Mr Bamidele said.
The Senate Leader emphasised that President Tinubu is not only aware of the legislative timeline but is also eager to receive the bill for his assent once it has passed through the mandatory ratification process by state assemblies.
“The president is also with us and I’m sure he can’t wait for the bill to come to him for assent and I’m sure the majority of our governors, as we know, are in support of this bill and their state houses of assembly are also waiting for this bill to come. We’ll trigger that within the week,” he stated.
Once the National Assembly approves the proposal, the amendment will be transmitted to the 36 State Houses of Assembly, where it requires ratification by at least two-thirds of them before it can be forwarded to President Tinubu for final assent.
Mr Bamidele noted that deliberations on state police would dominate the National Assembly’s agenda this week, given the urgency of the security situation. The Senate statutorily holds plenary sessions on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, though the leader did not specify the exact day for the vote.
The push for state police comes amid increasing banditry, kidnapping, and other security challenges across Nigeria. While the proposal has gained significant traction, some critics have previously argued that state police could be exploited by governors to harass political opponents.
However, the Senate has proposed the establishment of a National State Police Commission to regulate the recruitment, training, discipline, and conduct of state police officers.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio had earlier indicated that this proposed commission would serve as a safeguard against potential abuses, ensuring that state police formations operate under a unified regulatory framework.
Discussion about this post