State police won’t be govs’ private armies – Reps assure Nigerians

The House of Representatives has assured Nigerians that state police when fully implemented would not be used as private armies for state governors.
Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, gave the assurance on Wednesday at the National Security Roundtable during the 2026 National Assembly Open Week in Abuja, insisting that the reform is designed to strengthen community policing while preserving national oversight.

He said the green chamber would subject the State police bill to rigorous scrutiny to ensure it delivers effective policing without undermining democracy or the rule of law.

According to him, the proposal is one of the most consequential constitutional reforms before the National Assembly.

The Speaker noted that the proposal marked the first time a sitting President had formally transmitted an executive bill seeking to establish state police.

“State Police will not be private armies for the various state governors.

“For the first time in our history, a sitting president has made state police a central part of national reform.

“He has done so not with words alone, but with a bill that now sits before the House of Representatives,” the Speaker said.