State police without guaranteed funding risks abuse by governors – Opeyemi Bamidele

Opeyemi Bamidele, senate leader, says creating state police without constitutionally guaranteed funding could put the proposed security architecture at risk of abuse by governors, private citizens and criminal groups.

Speaking on Thursday at the Arise TV town hall meeting on state police in Abuja, Bamidele said concerns about state police were legitimate and rooted in Nigeria’s policing experience.

Bamidele said accountability and financial independence must be built into the framework to protect the citizens.

He noted that, aside from political interference, inadequate funding remains one of the major weaknesses of state policing.

The senate leader said whoever controls police finances could control its operations.

“If the state police is not well funded, it’s not only the state actors or politicians that can abuse this. Let me tell you, members of the business class can also abuse it,” he said.

“Some other organisations, even criminals, the cabals, can abuse it because it is a question of he who pays the piper dictating the tune.

“So, if the state police is not well funded, by any means, we will have a situation where it may as well be a highway to nowhere.”

Bamidele said the law should guarantee a first-line charge for state police funding to prevent governors from using budgetary allocations as leverage over police commands.

He said a fixed percentage of state budgets should be reserved for policing, with clear legal provisions governing how the funds are accessed and managed.

The senate leader said constitutional amendments alone would not resolve concerns surrounding state policing, adding that the national assembly would also amend the Police Act and enact additional legislation to define operational responsibilities, funding mechanisms and safeguards against abuse.

Bamidele said the effectiveness of state police is tied to local government autonomy.

On his part, Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker of the house of representatives, said the centralised policing structure has failed to effectively protect lives and property.

Kalu said consultations conducted by the green chamber showed broad public support for decentralising policing.

He said the current system delays responses because operational authorisation is concentrated in Abuja, while officers are often deployed to unfamiliar environments.

“If the authorisation point is in Abuja and events are happening far from Abuja, by the time the authorisation comes, you find out that an incident of crime has already taken place,” Kalu said.

“And it gets to a point where, if you don’t respond within the expected time, by the time you respond, it is irredeemable. It means that the police have not achieved the purpose for which it was set up.” (TheCable)