Sanwo-Olu Commends Senate, Tinubu Over State Police Bill Passage

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has commended the Senate for passing the constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police across Nigeria, describing the development as a bold and necessary response to the country’s security challenges.

Sanwo-Olu, in a statement posted on his X handle on Thursday, said the passage of the bill marked a significant step towards strengthening security and improving community-based policing across the country.

“I commend the Senate for passing the constitutional amendment bill to establish state police across Nigeria. This is a bold and necessary response to a long-standing national conversation on how we protect our communities,” he said.

The governor also praised President Bola Tinubu for his role in advancing the state police initiative, noting that the reform was a product of the President’s longstanding commitment to restructuring Nigeria’s security architecture.

According to Sanwo-Olu, Tinubu had consistently advocated for state policing since his tenure as governor of Lagos State.

“My appreciation also goes to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This reform is a direct result of his visionary leadership and commitment to restructuring our security architecture,” he stated.

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“He has championed this cause since his days as Governor of Lagos State, knowing that a safer Nigeria requires empowering authorities who actually know their terrain.”

The governor added that Lagos, as Nigeria’s commercial hub, has unique and constantly evolving security needs that would benefit from a policing system tailored to local realities.

“For us in Lagos, our security needs are unique, dynamic and constantly evolving. We know our streets and our neighborhoods better than anyone else. This progress finally gives us the opportunity to build a system that is fully responsive to our local realities,” he said.

While acknowledging that more work remains before the reform is fully implemented, Sanwo-Olu described the Senate’s action as a major milestone in the quest for a safer Nigeria.

“There is still work to be done but this is major progress toward a safer Nigeria,” the governor added.