Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, is confident that all 36 State Houses of Assembly will pass the bill for state police at the same time. He sees this move as a big step in improving Nigeria’s security system.
At a Town Hall Meeting on state policing with Arise Television, Governor Abiodun said the proposal has gained wide support across the nation. He thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for sending the Executive Bill to the National Assembly and praised lawmakers and other groups for pushing this bill forward.
He marked 24 June 2026, as a key date in Nigeria’s democratic history. This is when the Executive Bill on state police was sent to the National Assembly and quickly reviewed by the Senate.
Governor Abiodun mentioned that past governments tried to set up state police but failed. He sees the current progress as very important.
“I want to thank Arise TV for organising this very important town hall meeting on a matter that has now become a national consensus. One of the few subjects in Nigeria that enjoys such broad national acceptance is the creation of state police,” he said.
Mr Abiodun, who leads the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Committee on State Police Creation, said governors nationwide have been key in shaping the bill. This reflects how much state governments value this initiative.
He noted that while governors are the Chief Security Officers of their states, they have had little control over policing. They often bear much of the financial burden for police operations.
He shared that the Nigeria Governors’ Forum set up a committee made of governors and state Attorneys-General. This group will work with the executive and legislative branches to develop the bill.
“The bill has our input, and we are excited because what we are seeing today is the fulfilment of a dream we have nurtured for many years. It validates our long-standing advocacy for community policing,” he said.
The governor added that the new state police structure would build on the successes of existing regional security outfits like the South-West Security Network, known as Amotekun. He said Amotekun has effectively supported traditional policing through intelligence gathering and community work.
Mr Abiodun mentioned that creating state police would improve Nigeria’s police-to-citizen ratio and create jobs in the country’s 774 local government areas.
He pointed out that Nigeria currently has one police officer for about 660 citizens. The United Nations recommends one officer for 440 citizens, while the global standard is one officer for 250 citizens.
Using Ogun State as an example, the governor said the state has about 6,000 personnel across Amotekun, the So-Safe Corps, vigilante groups, and other security outfits. He believes similar setups across the 36 states could add between 300,000 and 400,000 more security personnel nationwide.
He explained that the constitutional amendment aims to move policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List. This will allow states to set up their own police services.
Governor Abiodun is hopeful that because of the wide consultations and involvement of governors in creating the bill, all state legislatures will consider and pass the amendment at the same time once they receive it.
Looking beyond the constitutional amendment, the governor said there is still a lot to do to make the new policing framework work.
He said changes will be needed to either amend or repeal the current Police Act to fit the new constitutional order.
According to him, the next steps will involve creating the operational framework for state police. This includes defining its structure, how it will relate to national police, checks to prevent abuse, funding plans, training standards, and setting up bodies like police councils and police service commissions.
He believes these steps will ensure state police operate effectively, professionally, and in line with the goals of improving security and protecting the rights of Nigerians.
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