Nigeria House Speaker says state police bill has safeguards

The Speaker of Nigeria's House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has assured the public that a landmark bill to establish state police contains extensive constitutional safeguards to prevent governors from using the new forces as political tools. Abbas delivered the assurances on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, during a National Security Roundtable held as part of the National Assembly Open Week in Abuja.

The Speaker directly addressed widespread concerns that state-controlled police could become private armies for governors or political godfathers, calling such fears legitimate and reasonable. He stated that the drafters of the bill had anticipated these concerns and embedded multiple layers of protection within the proposed constitutional amendment. The legislation, formally transmitted to the National Assembly by President Bola Tinubu, marks the first time a sitting president has sent an executive bill seeking to establish state police, a reform debated for decades without concrete legislative action.

Under the proposal, the Nigeria Police Force would be renamed the Federal Police Service. States wishing to establish their own police services would need to pass enabling...