Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has expressed confidence that all 36 State Houses of Assembly will simultaneously approve the constitutional amendment bill seeking the creation of state police, describing the initiative as a turning point in Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen internal security.
Speaking at an Arise Television Town Hall Meeting on state policing in Abuja on Thursday, Abiodun said the proposal had garnered unprecedented national consensus, while commending President Bola Tinubu for transmitting the Executive Bill to the National Assembly and lawmakers for swiftly advancing the legislation.
The governor, who chairs the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Committee on State Police Creation, described the transmission of the bill on June 24, 2026, as a historic milestone, noting that previous attempts by successive administrations to establish state police had failed.
“I want to thank Arise TV for organising this very important town hall meeting on a matter that has now become a national consensus. One of the few subjects in Nigeria that enjoys such broad national acceptance is the creation of state police,” he said.
Abiodun disclosed that governors across the federation played a critical role in shaping the proposed legislation through a committee comprising governors and state Attorneys-General, working in collaboration with the executive and legislative arms of government.
“The bill has our input, and we are excited because what we are seeing today is the fulfilment of a dream we have nurtured for many years. It validates our long-standing advocacy for community policing,” he stated.
He noted that although governors are constitutionally designated as Chief Security Officers of their states, they have traditionally exercised little operational control over policing despite providing substantial financial support for security operations.
The governor said the proposed state police structure would build on the successes of existing regional security outfits, particularly the South-West Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, which he said had complemented conventional policing through intelligence gathering and community-based operations.
According to him, the establishment of state police would significantly improve Nigeria’s police-to-population ratio while creating employment opportunities across the country’s 774 local government areas.
Abiodun observed that Nigeria currently has about one police officer to every 660 citizens, compared to the United Nations’ recommended ratio of one officer to 440 people and the global average of one officer to 250 citizens.
Using Ogun State as an example, he said the state currently has about 6,000 personnel serving in Amotekun, the So-Safe Corps, vigilante groups and other security outfits, adding that similar structures across the 36 states could immediately increase Nigeria’s security workforce by between 300,000 and 400,000 personnel.
He explained that the constitutional amendment seeks to move policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, thereby empowering states to establish and manage their own police services.
Expressing optimism over the bill’s prospects, Abiodun said the extensive consultations and active involvement of governors in drafting the legislation would encourage all State Houses of Assembly to consider and pass the amendment simultaneously once transmitted to them.
He, however, stressed that passing the constitutional amendment would only mark the beginning of the process, noting that further legal and institutional reforms would be required before state police could become operational.
“There is still a lot of work to be done. We will need consequential amendments to the Police Act, or perhaps enact a new legal framework that aligns with the constitutional changes. We must also establish clear operational structures, define the relationship between state police and the national police, put in place oversight mechanisms to prevent abuse, address funding, training and welfare, and create institutions such as state police councils and police service commissions,” he said.
Abiodun maintained that these measures would ensure that state police operates professionally, transparently and in line with the objective of improving security while protecting the rights of Nigerians.
