State Police May Fail Without Financial Autonomy, Senate Leader Warns

Senate Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has cautioned that the proposed state police system may collapse if sustainable funding and financial independence are not guaranteed.

Speaking at the ARISE NEWS Townhall on State Police on Thursday, Bamidele stressed that without a clear financial structure, state police forces could be vulnerable to manipulation by politicians, wealthy individuals, businesses, and even criminal groups.

“If the state police is not well funded, it may as well be a highway to nowhere,” he said.Bamidele explained that the constitutional amendment under consideration is designed to move policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, giving states the legal backing to establish their own police services if they choose.

 He noted that not all states would immediately launch state police after the amendment, but the framework would allow them to do so.

Acknowledging fears of political misuse, Bamidele insisted that safeguards must be built into the law to ensure accountability.

He proposed that legislation should guarantee a fixed percentage of state budgets for policing, independent of governors’ discretion, to prevent undue influence.

He further argued that constitutional reform alone would not suffice, stressing the need for amendments to the Police Act and other relevant laws to define the structure, operations, and coordination of state police with existing security agencies.

Bamidele also linked the success of state policing to genuine local government autonomy, warning that decentralised policing would have limited impact without empowered grassroots governance.

The senator concluded that Nigeria had reached a point where state police was necessary but insisted its establishment must be backed by strong laws, proper funding, and mechanisms to prevent abuse.

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