Governors, Senators Clash Over State Police Amid Funding, Abuse Fears

Some state governors and senators have disagreed over the proposed establishment of state police, with funding and the potential for political abuse emerging as major concerns.

The differing views were expressed on Thursday at the THISDAY/ARISE Television town hall meeting on Building a National Consensus for State Police and National Security in Abuja.

The governors who participated in the discussion included Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State, Peter Mbah of Enugu State, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State and Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State.

Other panelists were the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu; the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa; Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele; Senators Adams Oshiomhole and Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan; former Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor; and other key stakeholders.

The town hall focused on building a national consensus on state policing as part of broader efforts to address Nigeria’s growing security challenges, with participants expressing differing opinions on the structure, funding, oversight and safeguards needed to prevent abuse of the proposed system.