The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of rushing the proposed State Police Bill through the National Assembly in a bid to create the impression that it is addressing the country’s worsening security challenges.
The opposition party said although it supports the creation of state police, the process must be guided by careful planning, broad public consultation and strong institutional safeguards rather than political expediency.
The ADC made its position known in a statement issued on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi.
The party described the current push for state police as a “panicky” response to growing insecurity and argued that the Federal Government was presenting an old national proposal as if it were a new solution to Nigeria’s security problems.
According to the ADC, the establishment of state police is a major constitutional reform that should not be rushed because of political pressure.
The party maintained that passing the bill alone would not solve the deep-rooted security challenges confronting the country.
It argued that creating state police requires careful planning, proper legal structures and adequate funding to ensure that the new policing system functions effectively and does not become vulnerable to abuse.
While reaffirming its support for state policing in principle, the ADC warned against presenting the policy as an immediate answer to banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and other violent crimes.
The party said Nigerians should not be made to believe that insecurity would disappear simply because a law creating state police had been passed.
According to the statement, the reform should be implemented only after all necessary institutions and oversight mechanisms have been put in place.
The ADC also criticised what it described as the Federal Government’s attempt to package a long-standing national consensus as a fresh achievement.
For many years, governors, security experts, traditional rulers and civil society organisations have advocated decentralised policing as one way of improving security across the country.
The party argued that the Tinubu administration should not claim sole credit for an idea that has been widely discussed for decades.
“What we are witnessing is a hurried response to a worsening security crisis, not the careful institutional planning required to build a functional, accountable and effective policing system,” the statement said.
The opposition party also questioned the timing of the renewed push for state police.
According to the ADC, if the administration genuinely believed that state police was necessary, it should have prioritised the reform much earlier instead of pursuing it toward the latter part of its tenure.
The party argued that the timing had created the impression that the proposal was driven more by political considerations than by a comprehensive security strategy.
It further maintained that security sector reforms cannot be achieved through legislation alone.
According to the ADC, several critical components must be put in place before state police can become effective.
These include proper recruitment processes, professional training, sustainable funding, clear command structures, intelligence sharing among security agencies, judicial oversight and reforms within the correctional system.
The party warned that these structures require time, planning and substantial financial investment and cannot be established overnight.
It therefore urged the government to focus on building the institutions necessary for state policing instead of creating unrealistic public expectations.
The debate over state police has remained one of the most controversial issues in Nigeria’s security and constitutional reform discussions.
Supporters argue that the country’s centralised policing system has become overstretched because of increasing insecurity across many parts of the federation.
They believe state police would improve intelligence gathering, strengthen community policing and enable faster responses to crimes because officers would have better knowledge of local communities.
Several state governors have repeatedly called for decentralised policing, insisting that security challenges vary from one state to another and require local solutions.
Many traditional rulers and security experts have also supported the proposal, saying a single federal police force cannot adequately police a country with more than 200 million people.
However, critics have consistently warned that state police could be abused by state governors if sufficient safeguards are not established.
Some fear that governors could use state-controlled police forces to intimidate political opponents, interfere in elections or suppress dissent.
These concerns have fuelled calls for the establishment of independent State Police Service Commissions and other oversight bodies to ensure professionalism and accountability.
The current State Police Bill seeks to amend the Constitution to allow states to establish and operate their own police services while providing legal and administrative frameworks for their operations.
The proposal has already generated intense debate within political circles, with supporters and opponents disagreeing over both its timing and implementation.
Although the National Assembly has advanced the legislative process, the constitutional amendment is yet to be completed.
For the amendment to become law, it must be approved by both chambers of the National Assembly and endorsed by at least two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly before it can be transmitted to the President for assent.
As discussions continue, the ADC has maintained that while state police remains an important reform, it should not be used as a political tool or presented as a quick solution to Nigeria’s complex security challenges.
The party insisted that meaningful security reform requires strong institutions, transparent implementation and long-term planning rather than hurried legislative action.