Leader of the 10th Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, on Wednesday, said funding of the proposed state police services should be established as a first-line charge in the 1999 Constitution, stressing that it is the only way to protect it from possible interference by state governors.
He insisted that financial autonomy was key to prevention of political interference and protection of the integrity of the new policing structure.
Similarly, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, said a proper funding mechanism must be well spelt out before the establishment of state police.
Bamidele, who also served as vice-chairman of the Senate Committee on Review of the 1999 Constitution, warned that without constitutionally guaranteed funding, the proposed state police could become vulnerable not only to manipulation by governors but also to undue influence from powerful business interests, cabals, and criminal networks.
The Senate leader made the remarks while responding to concerns raised by stakeholders over the proposed constitutional amendment seeking to establish state police, according to a statement by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs. He acknowledged that the reservations expressed by Nigerians over the proposal were legitimate and deserved careful consideration.
According to him, “Nearly all the public concerns on the state police proposal are well founded and, obviously, cannot be swept under the carpet considering their weight and enormity.”
Bamidele stated that many of the concerns stemmed from Nigeria’s experience during the First Republic, when the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions empowered regional governments to establish their own police forces, a development that was widely criticised for political abuse. He, however, assured Nigerians that the National Assembly was building robust constitutional safeguards to ensure that the proposed state police system operated independently, professionally, and in the public interest
He disclosed that lawmakers were considering a multi-layered framework that would guarantee discipline among personnel, institutional independence, and fiscal autonomy.
Central to the proposal, he said, was a constitutional provision making the funding of state police services a first-line charge, similar to the financial arrangement already guaranteed for the judiciary.
Bamidele explained that under the current constitutional framework, the judiciary enjoyed financial independence because its statutory allocations were charged directly on the Consolidated Revenue Fund, thereby insulating it from executive interference. He stressed that financial independence would prevent situations where governors could withhold funds from state police commands simply because they disagreed with operational decisions.
The Senate leader also assured Nigerians that the constitutional amendment process would produce a state police system that will be accountable to the people while addressing genuine concerns raised by stakeholders. He stated that creating state police without adequate and guaranteed funding would defeat the objective of improving internal security across the federation.
Bamidele further explained that the constitutional review sought to transfer policing powers from Exclusive Legislative List to Concurrent Legislative List, thereby empowering state governments to establish and operate their own police services alongside the Nigeria Police.
While fears over political interference had dominated public debate on the proposal, Bamidele cautioned that the risks went beyond politicians.
Bamidele maintained that the 10th National Assembly remained committed to delivering a constitutional framework that would strengthen security while safeguarding the operational independence and accountability of state police services.
