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Senate leader Opeyemi Bamidele has emphasized the importance of establishing state police to address the widespread insecurity in the country.
In a statement from his media office in Abuja on Monday, Bamidele expressed concern about the current state of policing in Nigeria, describing it as "ailing and dysfunctional."
He acknowledged that the existing system is unable to ensure the protection of human lives and collective assets given the security challenges in the Fourth Republic.
The debate over the creation of state police has been ongoing for over a decade.
“This, in part, can be attributed to the rise of armed attacks orchestrated by diverse interests either pursuing divisive agendas or seeking predatory ends in virtually all geopolitical zones,” he said.
He noted that Nigeria, one of the world’s fastest-growing nations in terms of population, could not continue to operate a centralised policing system.
“Such a policing model cannot meaningfully address existential threats to our internal cohesion and stability. Unlike in 1979, when we had a population of 70.75 million, Nigeria is now a federation of about 229 million people and is currently the world’s sixth-biggest country.
“This is as shown in the demographic data of the United Nations. Contrarily, as revealed in the recent presentation of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, Nigeria has a police-citizen ratio of one to 650.
“This ratio is a far cry from a ratio of one to 460, which, according to the United Nations, is a minimum requirement for every sovereign state or territory worldwide,” the Senate leader said.
The lawmaker further noted that the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution would allow stakeholders to interrogate the nation’s security framework and take a position on the desirability or otherwise of state police in the country.
“We must go about it (state police) with a clear sense of self-realization. We must, first and foremost, realise that the present police system is ailing and dysfunctional.
“We must also admit that the system can no longer guarantee the dignity of human lives or the security of collective assets.
“With this admission, it is evident that the option of adopting state police is no doubt inevitable as an antidote to the diverse security challenges that threaten us as a federation,” he said.
The Senate leader further said that as the debate for a more efficient police model continued, the National Assembly was under obligation to provide a legal framework with clearly defined preconditions.
“Sub-national governments must conform to the preconditions before establishing their policing formation. The role of all 36 state Houses of Assembly is equally indispensable in the quest to adopt the decentralised police system,” he said.
The bill for the establishment of the state police is currently in the National Assembly. In February, the House of Representatives passed the bill for the second reading.
The bill, sponsored by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Benjamin Kalu and 14 others, seeks to alter the relevant Sections of the 1999 Constitution to pave the way for states to establish their policing outfits.
