State Police Not Silver Bullet To Nigeria Insecurity – Fashola

Former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has said the establishment of state police is not a “silver bullet” to Nigeria’s insecurity.

Speaking on Wednesday on TVC News’ Beyond The Headlines, Fashola warned that deeper structural and governance issues must also be addressed.

He said, “Like I said during my intervention on June 12, if and when the State Police becomes constitutionally permissible, it is not the silver bullet to the problem we face today. It is going to take about six months. If you use the current model of police training, they spend six months in police academy, your first intakes are six months away.

“If you are looking for people who will respond to armed conflict, you have to be in the police force for two years, with continuous training, to be entrusted with a firearm, so that’s two years. It is a long-term plan, but the first step has been taken, and we must see that step through to completion.

“There will be a lot of grey areas. For example, should state police bear arms? If they do, who controls the arms? Because that is still under the Exclusive Legislative List, and would the Federal Government open that into the Concurrent List, or will it still retain control?”

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TVC News Online reports that Nigeria’s proposed State Police constitutional amendment marks the most significant attempt to decentralise policing since 1999.

Recently, the House of Representatives withdrew its own version and began deliberations on the executive bill on state policing sent by President Bola Tinubu, and swiftly passed it through both first and second readings.

The lower legislative chamber thereafter referred the bill to its Committee on Constitutional Review for detailed consideration.

In a letter addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, the President said the proposed legislation, Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, is designed to amend the 1999 Constitution and create the legal framework necessary for the operation of state police as part of broader efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.

The President said, “This Bill builds on the significant work already done in this regard by the House of Representatives and incorporates additional safeguards to ensure that the creation of a dual policing structure to address our nation’s evolving national security challenges can be achieved quickly and effectively to the benefit of all Nigerians.”

The Senate had earlier passed a similar constitutional amendment proposal aimed at creating state police services across the federation.