Agbakoba Supports State Police, Warns of Political Control

Olisa Agbakoba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former president of the Nigerian Bar Association, has expressed support for the introduction of state police in Nigeria. In an open letter dated June 26, addressed to George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Agbakoba commended President Bola Tinubu for transmitting an executive bill to the National Assembly aimed at amending Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution to facilitate the establishment of state police.

However, he cautioned that the proposed reforms must be accompanied by broader constitutional changes to protect law enforcement agencies from political interference. Agbakoba argued that without these safeguards, state police could become instruments of executive power rather than serving the public.

He proposed a constitutional framework similar to South Africa's, ensuring independent institutions with guaranteed funding and security tenure. Agbakoba urged the federal government to consider these reforms seriously, as the Senate passed the bill with a two-thirds majority vote, despite concerns from stakeholders about potential abuses by state governors.