………”The police chief must not be subject to the whims and caprices of a governor.”
The Senate has declared that funding for the proposed State Police Service must be constitutionally guaranteed as a first-line charge to safeguard its operational independence and prevent state governors from using financial control to influence or undermine its activities.
The position was made known on Wednesday by the Senate Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central), who said the National Assembly was deliberately building constitutional safeguards into the proposed State Police framework to address widespread concerns over political interference, abuse of power and inadequate funding.
Speaking through a statement issued by his media office, Bamidele acknowledged that the apprehensions expressed by Nigerians over the establishment of state police were legitimate, noting that many of the fears were rooted in the country’s historical experience during the First Republic, when regional governments exercised control over police formations under the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions.
He, however, assured that the proposed state policing system would be fundamentally different, explaining that lawmakers were developing a legal framework that would strengthen institutional independence, guarantee financial autonomy and enforce strict disciplinary mechanisms capable of preventing abuse by political office holders or other powerful interests.
According to him, one of the most critical safeguards being considered is the constitutional provision of first-line funding for state police, similar to the financial autonomy currently enjoyed by the judiciary, where funds are guaranteed by law rather than released at the discretion of the executive.
“The Commissioner of Police and the State Police Service Commission must have a guaranteed source of funds provided for in the Constitution so that the police chief will not be subject to the whims and caprices of a state governor,” Bamidele said.
He warned that allowing governors to determine whether or not to finance state police could seriously compromise the effectiveness and neutrality of the security outfit, especially where disagreements arise between political authorities and security leadership.
“If a state police service is not responding well to the directives of a governor, he may choose not to fund it. We must prevent such a situation,” he said.
To address the challenge, Bamidele disclosed that the National Assembly was considering a constitutional provision that would reserve a specified percentage of every state’s budget exclusively for the operations of state police, with clear legal guidelines governing access to and utilisation of the funds.
The Senate Leader further assured Nigerians that all concerns raised by stakeholders during consultations on the state police proposal would be fully addressed before the legislation is finalised, stressing that the objective was to establish a professional, accountable and independent policing system capable of strengthening internal security across the country.
He argued that the challenge of funding goes beyond political interference, warning that an underfunded state police service could become vulnerable to influence from wealthy individuals, criminal syndicates and organised interest groups.
“Some people only talk about political abuse, but it is more than that. If a state police service is not well funded, the business class, criminal groups and powerful cabals can also influence its operations because he who pays the piper dictates the tune,” he said.
Bamidele maintained that creating a state police system without sustainable constitutional funding would defeat the purpose of the reform, warning that such an institution would struggle to discharge its constitutional responsibilities effectively.
“If a state police service is not well funded by any means, we have a situation where it may as well be a highway to nowhere. That is one thing all of us must prevent,” he added.
He reaffirmed the National Assembly’s commitment to establishing a State Police Service that is financially independent, professionally managed and fully accountable to the Nigerian people, while ensuring that robust constitutional safeguards are put in place to prevent abuse and enhance public confidence in the proposed security architecture.
