Obi, in a statement issued on Friday through his X handle, said the passage of the State Police Bill by the National Assembly represented a major legislative milestone in Nigeria’s quest to reform its policing architecture.
He, however, said the manner in which the legislation was processed had raised serious concerns about its credibility and possible political misuse.
He argued that while decentralising policing had long been advocated by security experts and regional stakeholders as a solution to Nigeria’s growing insecurity, the constitutional and legislative framework underpinning the reform appeared weak and failed to inspire public confidence.
According to him, the absence of broad public consultation and the speed with which the legislation was passed had created widespread suspicion about the motives behind the initiative.
Obi said, “The recent passage of the State Police Bill by the National Assembly marks a significant legislative milestone in addressing a long-standing demand of the Nigerian people.
“For years, many of us, alongside security experts and regional stakeholders, have consistently argued that a highly centralised policing structure is fundamentally unsuitable for a country as vast, diverse, and complex as Nigeria.
“However, the legislative and constitutional implementation appears shaky and raises legitimate concerns.”
Obi maintained that such a far-reaching security reform required extensive engagement with citizens and stakeholders, insisting that policing should be more visible at the community and local government levels.
He criticised what he described as the disorderly legislative process, noting that the absence of public hearings on such a sensitive constitutional amendment undermined public trust.
“The process should involve greater community participation. Policing should be more visible at the local government and community levels.
“The mechanism for passing the law appears highly disorganised, with no public hearing on such a sensitive issue.
“Indeed, the rush to enact the law without proper legislative procedures fuels suspicion among many observers about the political motives behind it,” he said.
Obi also questioned the willingness of the current administration to refrain from exploiting the new policing arrangement ahead of the next general election.
He said, “Going by what Nigerians have seen so far, there is no guarantee that this administration can resist the temptation to take advantage of state policing to influence the 2027 general election by proxy.
“In view of that possibility and the danger it poses to the polity, it is necessary to defer its implementation until after the general election.”
It Carries Promise, Risk, Says CUPP
In a statement by its National Chairman, Peter Ameh, the CUPP said the Nigerian Senate’s passage of the constitutional amendment bill for the establishment of State Police on June 24, 2026, following earlier approval by the House of Representatives, marks a landmark shift in the nation’s security architecture.
He said that ”This reform moves Nigeria toward a more decentralised policing system in response to the persistent failures of the centralised model.
“Nigeria continues to grapple with severe insecurity and banditry, kidnapping, insurgency, farmer-herder clashes, communal violence, and urban crime. The existing Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has been critically overstretched and under-resourced. Despite repeated promises by the Tinubu administration to massively recruit and adequately fund the police, including announcements of recruiting tens of thousands of officers and enhancing the Police Trust Fund. these commitments have not been fulfilled to the required scale or with the urgency needed.
‘This shortfall has left the federal police ill-equipped to tackle rising threats, underscoring the limitations of relying solely on a centralised force controlled from Abuja.”
However Ameh said, “While this could be a good reform but the hasty nature leaves more to be desired, it is not a panacea.
”We caution that poorly implemented State Police could be vulnerable to abuse, including political weaponisation, election interference, or suppression of opposition.
”There are also legitimate worries regarding funding disparities across states, uneven professional standards, and potential coordination challenges between federal and state commands.”
Chuks Okocha, Alex Enumah, Sunday Aborishade and Sunday Ehigiator
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