State Police Must Be Protected From Governors, Cabals — Senate Leader

The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has said the proposed state police services must enjoy guaranteed financial independence to prevent their manipulation by governors, political actors, criminal groups and other powerful interests.

Naija News reports that Bamidele said funding for state police should be placed on the first-line charge as part of the ongoing amendment of the 1999 Constitution.

The senator, who also serves as Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, made the proposal in a statement issued on Wednesday by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs.

He said the National Assembly was developing safeguards to ensure that state police institutions remained professional, disciplined and independent.

Bamidele acknowledged concerns that state police could be abused by governors and other influential individuals if adequate protections were not included in the law.

He said the fears expressed by stakeholders were legitimate and could not be ignored.

According to him, nearly all the concerns raised about the proposal are well-founded and cannot be swept under the carpet, given their weight and magnitude.

The Senate Leader said some of the reservations were rooted in Nigeria’s experience during the First Republic, when regional governments controlled local police formations.

He noted that the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions empowered regional authorities to establish police forces for their provinces or parts of them.

NASS Develops Safeguards

Bamidele said the National Assembly was responding to those concerns by developing a multi-layered system of checks and safeguards.

He explained that the proposed framework would promote discipline among personnel while guaranteeing institutional independence and financial autonomy.

The senator warned that state police could be vulnerable not only to political interference but also to manipulation by business interests, criminal networks, cabals and other organisations if their finances were not protected.

According to him, financial dependence on governors could weaken the neutrality of state police chiefs and expose the service to political control.

Bamidele said the National Assembly was considering a constitutional arrangement that would make state police funding similar to that of the judiciary.

He explained that judicial funding is protected under the Constitution and does not depend on routine executive approval.

Bamidele said, “The Chief Justice of Nigeria, for instance, does not have to take her file to the President for approval on every procurement, unlike a minister or any member of the Federal Executive Council, who must secure presidential approval to spend any money.

“That is why we called it a first-line charge.”

The Senate Leader said state commissioners of police and State Police Service Commissions should have constitutionally guaranteed sources of funding.

Bamidele further said, “In other words, the Commissioner of Police and State Police Service Commission must have a guaranteed source of funds provided for in the 1999 Constitution.

“This is in a way that the police chief will not be subject to the whims and caprices of a state governor.”

He maintained that financial autonomy would be one of the most important protections against the politicisation and abuse of state police.

Bamidele said the National Assembly would continue to engage stakeholders as it considers the constitutional amendment required to establish state police services nationwide.