ABUJA, July 15, 2026 — The Leader of the Senate and Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has called for the financial independence of proposed state police services, insisting that their funding must be entrenched as a first-line charge in the Constitution to shield them from political interference and manipulation by vested interests.

Bamidele made the position known on Wednesday while responding to growing public concerns over the proposed establishment of state police as part of the ongoing constitutional amendment process.

According to him, the National Assembly is determined to create a state policing system that is accountable, operationally independent and financially insulated from undue influence by governors, political actors, business interests, criminal syndicates and other powerful groups.

The Senate Leader acknowledged that the reservations expressed by Nigerians regarding state police are legitimate and deserve careful consideration.

He noted that many of the fears stem from Nigeria’s First Republic, when the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions empowered regional governments to establish their own police forces, a system that was widely criticised for political abuse.

To prevent a repeat of such experiences, Bamidele disclosed that the National Assembly is designing robust constitutional safeguards that will strengthen institutional independence, enforce professional discipline and guarantee fiscal autonomy for state police services.

A major component of the proposed framework, he explained, is making the funding of state police a constitutional first-line charge, similar to the funding arrangement currently enjoyed by the judiciary.

Drawing a comparison with the judicial arm of government, Bamidele explained that the Chief Justice of Nigeria does not seek presidential approval before accessing constitutionally allocated funds, unlike ministries and other executive agencies.

He stressed that a similar financial model should apply to state police institutions so that Commissioners of Police and State Police Service Commissions would not depend on the discretion of state governors for operational funding.

According to him, allowing governors to determine whether or not to release funds to state police could undermine the independence of the institution, especially in situations where police authorities refuse to carry out politically motivated directives.

He revealed that lawmakers are considering constitutional provisions that would compel states to allocate a defined percentage of their annual budgets specifically for the operations of state police services, while clearly outlining transparent mechanisms for accessing such funds.

Bamidele maintained that guaranteed funding is essential for professionalism, accountability and effective policing, warning that underfunded police organisations would be vulnerable to external influence.

Beyond political interference, he cautioned that wealthy individuals, organised business interests, criminal networks and influential cabals could also compromise state police institutions if financial independence is not constitutionally protected.

He warned that any policing institution that relies on unofficial sources of funding risks becoming susceptible to manipulation, stressing that “he who pays the piper dictates the tune.”

The Senate Leader further assured Nigerians that the National Assembly remains committed to addressing every genuine concern raised by stakeholders before concluding work on the constitutional amendment.

He explained that the broader objective of the constitutional review is to transfer policing powers from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, thereby enabling state governments to establish and operate their own police services within a clearly regulated constitutional framework.

Bamidele concluded that creating state police without guaranteeing sustainable funding would defeat the purpose of the reform, insisting that operational independence, financial autonomy and constitutional safeguards must form the foundation of any new policing structure in Nigeria.