Senate President Godswill Akpabio has issued a stern warning to Nigerian governors against converting state police into instruments of political persecution, even as the Senate prepares to pass the landmark Constitution Alteration State Police Bill, 2026.
Akpabio issued the warning during plenary on Tuesday as the National Assembly prepared to approve state police to tackle insecurity across the country. PM News Nigeria
The Senate President reminded governors that they would not always be in office. “Since 1960, Nigeria has not dared to decentralise policing. This is the first time we are taking that step. We must ensure there are adequate safeguards to prevent abuse. Even current governors who will one day leave office should not be afraid of the state police structure they helped create,” he said.
Akpabio stressed that adequate safeguards would be embedded in the proposed state police structure to prevent abuse by political office holders.
Addressing fears of political interference, the Deputy Speaker noted that the bill mandates merit-based recruitment, national minimum standards, independent State Police Service Commissions for oversight, state assembly accountability, and strict constitutional limits on political interference
For the amendment to become law, it must secure the support of at least two-thirds of members of both chambers and be ratified by no fewer than 24 state Houses of Assembly before being transmitted to the President for assent.
Akpabio also rallied senators to ensure full attendance for Wednesday’s decisive vote, describing the bill as one of the most consequential constitutional decisions in Nigeria’s democratic history.
Tags: Akpabio, State Police Bill, Nigerian Senate, Constitution Alteration, Governors of Nigeria, State Police Abuse, Decentralised Policing, National Assembly 2026, Nigerian Security Reform
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