Afenifere Calls for Independent State Police

The Yoruba group, Afenifere, has urged the National Assembly to look at the bill for state police again. They want it to be independent from the federal government.

After a meeting on Thursday in Akure, the capital of Ondo State, Afenifere sent a message to journalists. They specifically want the National Assembly to include state police on the Constitution’s concurrent list.

Recently, both chambers of the National Assembly passed a bill to create state police. This is part of efforts to solve Nigeria’s ongoing security issues. However, the constitutional change needs two-thirds approval from the state Houses of Assembly before it can go to the president for final approval. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said on Sunday that the proposed law is “purely a child of necessity and not of political expediency as well as a product of national consensus and not of cynicism.”

Some political parties and groups have completely rejected the bill. Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, has called for delaying the start of state police until after the 2027 general election.

Afenifere praised President Bola Tinubu and the federal legislature for their efforts to make state police a reality. However, they pointed out that the bill has parts that need changes.

“However, there are some areas in the Bill that need to be reviewed, areas that tend to make the proposed State Police appendages of the federal government. In other words, there are clauses in the Bill that tend to strengthen the stronghold of the federal government on state police rather than liberalising it,” the group stated.