The legislative push for decentralised policing in Nigeria gathered momentum on Thursday as key leaders of the 10th National Assembly, state executives, and security experts forged a common front to advance the State Police Bill through its final legislative phases.
Speaking at the National Town Hall on “Building a National Consensus on State Police and National Security,” organized by ARISE News in Abuja, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, announced that a bicameral conference committee has been formally constituted to bridge any outstanding differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill before it is presented for final consideration.
Addressing widespread public interest, the Deputy Speaker clarified that the decentralisation of policing is designed to complement, rather than compete with, the existing federal security framework.
“The proposed State Police framework is not about weakening the Federal Government or fragmenting our security architecture,” Kalu emphasized. “Rather, it is about building a smarter, more responsive policing system anchored on constitutional safeguards.”
Adding strong upper-chamber backing to the consensus, the Senate Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, delivered a major presentation at the summit as a lead discussant. Bamidele joined state governors and top security experts in raising public awareness for the reform, detailing how the 10th National Assembly is working hand-in-hand with the Executive to design an ironclad framework.
Senator Bamidele posited that the legislative efforts are explicitly focused on delivering a decentralized policing model that remains entirely insulated from political control, manipulation, and localized abuse.
He further emphasized that decentralized law enforcement is fundamentally aligned with the core governance philosophy of the current administration. According to the Senate Leader, the State Police initiative—much like the recently secured local government autonomy—is central to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of bringing governance closer to the grassroots, giving ordinary Nigerians a genuine sense of participation and belonging in the nation’s democracy.
Concluding the summit’s legislative brief, Deputy Speaker Kalu urged Nigerians to maintain absolute confidence in the constitutional review process. He reassured citizens that strict constitutional guardrails, organized around the Exclusive and Concurrent Legislative Lists, are being built directly into the amendment bills to permanently protect democratic ideals, preserve national unity, and safeguard lives and property across the federation.
Read Also: Tinubu Inaugurates Panel to Draft National Policing Bill for State Police Implementation
