The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Abbas Tajudeen, has defended the proposed State Police Bill. He recently had his say at the National Security Roundtable held as part of activities marking the 2026 National Assembly Open Week in Abuja.
Assuring Nigerians against an abuse of power by the leaders, Abbas announced that adequate constitutional safeguards have been included to prevent governors and political actors from using state police as private security outfits.
Acknowledging concerns that state police could be used as a tool by political leaders, he guaranteed that the proposed legislation is deliberately structured to prevent such occurrences.
His words, “I understand the concern that many people bring to this discussion, and it is a reasonable one. It is the fear that a State Police could become the private army of a governor or a political godfather.
The people who drafted this Bill had the same fear, and they answered it.
If a State Police breaks down, or falls into the wrong hands, or turns against the very people it should protect, the Constitution allows the Federal Police to step in… only in defined situations, only in writing, only for a limited period, with notice to the Governor and to the National Assembly within forty-eight hours, and always subject to the courts.
For the first time in our history, a sitting President has made State Police a central part of national reform.
A country as large and as varied as ours cannot be policed forever by one central Force run from the capital.
The National Minimum Standards Act must come before the first State Police issues a single directive: standards first, structures after.”
