Senate President Godswill Akpabio has said Nigeria may introduce state police within a month, claiming that the constitutional amendment process required to establish decentralised policing is nearing completion.
Akpabio disclosed this on Wednesday when a delegation of Arewa Revival Project, a northern youth group led by its coordinator, Mustafa Ibrahim, visited him at his office.
He said about 30 state Houses of Assembly had endorsed the proposed constitutional amendment to pave the way for the establishment of state police.
According to the Senate President, the proposed system would strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture by allowing states to respond more effectively to threats within their territories.
“As I speak with you now, for the first time in the history of Nigeria, it may not take us a month before we have a state police system – decentralised policing in the country,” Akpabio said.
He expressed confidence that the initiative would improve security across the country, particularly as Nigeria continues to grapple with kidnapping, banditry, terrorism and other criminal activities.
The creation of state police has remained a major issue in Nigeria’s constitutional reform debate, with proponents arguing that the centralised policing structure has struggled to address security threats across the country’s diverse regions.
Supporters of decentralised policing believe state governments would be better positioned to understand local security challenges and deploy personnel more quickly to troubled communities.
However, concerns have also been raised over the possibility of state governors using local police forces to intimidate political opponents, suppress dissent or settle personal scores.
Akpabio’s comments come amid renewed calls for urgent measures to tackle insecurity, with the proposed establishment of state police viewed by supporters as a major step towards reforming the country’s policing system.
The Senate President also urged Nigerians, particularly youths, to remain hopeful that the country would overcome its security challenges.
He said the constitutional amendment process had made significant progress, expressing optimism that the proposed policing system would soon become a reality.
Akpabio did not give a specific commencement date for the proposed state police system, and his projection that it could be introduced within a month would depend on the completion of the necessary constitutional and legislative processes.
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