Nigeria is on the verge of its biggest security shake-up in 26 years.
State Police has virtually become a reality. With 30 Houses of Assembly now endorsing the Constitution Amendment Bill, the historic reform has smashed the 24-state threshold required by law.
As of yesterday, Lagos, Ebonyi, Kogi and Niger joined the growing list, leaving only the collation of results and transmission to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for final assent.
PRESIDENCY: BUSINESS MUST PAY FOR SECURITY
In a dramatic twist, the Presidency has asked the Organised Private Sector to bankroll the new system.
Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, Femi Gbajabiamila, made the call at the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja.
He said insecurity is killing businesses — abandoned investments, delayed factory expansions, and disrupted supply chains.
“A company can reinforce its perimeter. Its workers still have to travel home,” Gbajabiamila warned.
He urged the NESG and chambers of commerce to produce a financing blueprint, but cautioned that money must not buy influence.
“A donation must never purchase influence over an investigation,” he said.
Gbajabiamila revealed that 24 states had approved as of October 23, before six more joined, and that the National Policing Bill has been sent to the Ministry of Justice for final review.
LAGOS WANTS MORE, AKAPBIO DEFENDS PLAN
The Lagos Assembly unanimously approved the Bill after cutting short its recess, but Speaker Mudashiru Obasa said the current version does not give states total control.
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“It is a step forward, but there is hope that further amendments will give total control to states,” he said.
In Ebonyi, all 24 lawmakers voted yes. Kogi and Niger also gave unanimous approval.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio defended the plan, saying state police will complement, not replace, the federal police and will operate under national standards.
THE FEAR: WILL GOVERNORS HIJACK IT?
Critics remain worried. Criminologist Prof. Etannibi Alemika warned that without strong safeguards, governors could weaponise state police against opponents.
“The solution to insecurity lies not simply in state police, but in good governance,” he argued.
Gbajabiamila assured that the Bill provides enforceable safeguards, independent oversight, and that federal police will remain in states not ready to run their own.
