Agbakoba urges FG to add safeguards before state police bill approval
Dr Olisa Agbakoba SAN warned the Federal Government via his X post on Tuesday not to approve the state police bill without constitutional safeguards, referencing an earlier letter he wrote. The Senate passed a bill to amend the 1999 Constitution to create a dual policing system with a Federal Police Service and State Police Services, a proposal transmitted by President Bola Tinubu as part of security‑architecture reform.
He argued that without safeguards, state police could fall under governors’ control the way state electoral commissions and local governments have, turning institutions meant to serve the public into tools of the executive. He pointed to South Africa’s Constitution, where bodies like the electoral commission, anti‑corruption agency and central bank are independent, securely funded and answerable to the legislature, and said the same model should apply to INEC, EFCC, CBN and similar agencies.
The bill lets state governors appoint commissioners of police, subject to recommendation by the National Police Council and confirmation by the State House of Assembly, and bars the use of state police against political opponents, activists, journalists or mere critics. The Federal Police Service would retain temporary intervention power in state security matters. Supporters say state police would improve local intelligence, speed up emergency response and help tackle rising insecurity and kidnappings, while critics warn of political interference, funding shortfalls and heightened ethnic tensions. Should state police proceed only with strong constitutional safeguards like independent funding and legislative oversight, or risk repeating the pattern of captured institutions?