Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has commended President Bola Tinubu for transmitting the Executive Bill on the creation of state police to the National Assembly, expressing confidence that all the 36 State Houses of Assembly would simultaneously approve the constitutional amendment when it is forwarded to them.
Abiodun spoke during an Arise Television Town Hall Meeting on state policing, where he described the proposed legislation as a landmark initiative that would strengthen Nigeria’s internal security architecture and deepen community policing across the country.
The governor, who chairs the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Committee on State Police Creation, said the proposal had attained an unprecedented national consensus, attributing the progress to extensive consultations among the executive, legislature and state governments.
“I want to thank Arise TV for organising this very important town hall meeting on a matter that has now become a national consensus. One of the few subjects in Nigeria that enjoys such broad national acceptance is the creation of state police,” he said.
He described June 24, 2026, as a historic day in Nigeria’s democratic journey, noting that it marked the transmission of the Executive Bill on state police to the National Assembly and its swift consideration by the Senate.
According to him, the current progress represents a major breakthrough after similar efforts by previous administrations failed to achieve the same level of success.
Abiodun disclosed that the Nigeria Governors’ Forum constituted a committee made up of governors and state Attorneys General to work with the executive and legislative arms in drafting the bill.
“The bill has our input, and we are excited because what we are seeing today is the fulfilment of a dream we have nurtured for many years. It validates our long standing advocacy for community policing,” the governor said.
He explained that although governors are constitutionally recognised as Chief Security Officers of their states, they have had limited control over policing despite providing significant financial support for security operations.
The governor said the proposed state police structure would build on the achievements of regional security outfits such as Amotekun, which, according to him, had complemented conventional policing through intelligence gathering and community engagement.
Abiodun also said the establishment of state police would improve Nigeria’s police to citizen ratio and create employment opportunities across the country’s 774 local government areas.
Using Ogun State as an example, he said the state currently has about 6,000 personnel across Amotekun, the So Safe Corps, vigilante groups and other security outfits, adding that similar structures across the federation could immediately provide between 300,000 and 400,000 additional security personnel.
He further explained that the constitutional amendment seeks to move policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, thereby empowering states to establish their own police services.
Expressing optimism over the legislative process, Abiodun said the involvement of governors in drafting the proposal would encourage its smooth passage by state legislatures.
“I am optimistic that because governors have been part of this process from the beginning, once the amendment is transmitted to the State Houses of Assembly, all the legislatures will consider and pass it simultaneously,” he said.
The governor, however, noted that passing the constitutional amendment would only be the beginning, stressing that consequential amendments to the Police Act, operational guidelines, funding arrangements, oversight mechanisms, training standards and the establishment of institutions such as police councils and police service commissions would be required to ensure an effective and professional state policing system.
