By Priye Briggs
The Lagos State House of Assembly on Wednesday threw its weight behind the creation of state police and called for urgent constitutional changes across the country to bolster Nigeria’s security framework.
The House also urged the 36 state legislatures to fast-track the passage of the Constitution Alteration Bill on state policing.
The decision followed the adoption of a motion titled “Support for the Establishment of State Police in Nigeria” sponsored by Majority Leader Noheem Adams.
Adams said the bill fits into the federal government’s push to decentralise policing and improve the nation’s security structure.
“Lagos assembly had consistently supported the establishment of state police to enhance community policing and address the country’s growing security challenges,” he said.
He highlighted Nigeria’s poor police-to-citizen ratio of roughly 1 officer to 600 people, noting that the gap hampers effective law enforcement and makes the case for a decentralised system stronger.
According to him, state police would boost local intelligence gathering, allow quicker response times, and make security operations within communities more effective.
Speaker Mudashiru Obasa said current security efforts have helped in the fight against kidnapping, terrorism, banditry and other violent crimes.
He argued that state governments should have full control over their police forces, including recruitment, appointments, promotions, discipline and day-to-day operations.
Obasa further suggested that governors should be empowered to appoint commissioners of police, with confirmation by their respective state assemblies.
Contributors to the debate all backed the motion, describing state policing as critical to constitutional reform and national security.
They said decentralising policing would strengthen community-driven law enforcement, improve the protection of lives and property, and restore public trust in security agencies.
The House unanimously passed the motion, reaffirming its position that state police is a practical answer to Nigeria’s security problems.