Priye Briggs
Senator Garba Musa Maidoki, representing Kebbi South in the 10th National Assembly, has voiced strong opposition to the State Police Bill currently before lawmakers, questioning both its timing and the manner in which it is being advanced.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday night, Maidoki said he doubted the bill could resolve Nigeria’s worsening security crisis. He stressed that his objection was not to the idea of state policing itself, but to Nigeria’s poor record of enforcing existing laws and the rushed legislative process surrounding the proposal.
“Nigeria has a pattern of passing laws and policies that are never properly enforced,” Maidoki argued, pointing to the Electoral Act as an example. “We believed the Electoral Act would finally make Nigeria respect due process. But we all saw what played out during party primaries.”
The senator also raised concerns about the credibility of elections at the state level, noting that opposition candidates rarely win local government polls. “Name one state where a strong opposition candidate, no matter how popular, has won a local government election. With that record, how can we trust those in charge?” he asked.
Maidoki revealed that senators received the 146-page draft bill only hours before debate, describing the move as a breach of legislative standards. “This document was handed to us today, and within 24 hours it will be passed. Standard procedure demands that after public hearings, stakeholders who made submissions should see the draft to confirm their inputs were included. Only National Assembly members have this bill, and we got it today. Like it or not, it will scale second reading,” he said.
He went further to criticise legislative priorities, claiming that many laws passed by the National Assembly serve personal or political interests rather than the public good. “My conclusion is that most laws passed by the National Assembly are tailored to suit particular people or interests, not the country. It’s embarrassing among civilised nations that a 146-page bill can be rushed through like this,” Maidoki stated.
While acknowledging that the concept of state policing is not inherently defective, Maidoki insisted that Nigeria must first demonstrate its ability to implement existing laws effectively before creating new constitutional structures.