Agbakoba Advocates for Safeguards in State Police Proposal

Olisa Agbakoba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former president of the Nigerian Bar Association, called for constitutional safeguards for the proposed state police in a letter dated June 26, 2026. He warned that without strong protections, state police could become tools of political oppression.

Agbakoba made his remarks available on Monday, addressing the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, and welcoming President Bola Tinubu's executive bill to amend Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution to establish state police. He cautioned that merely decentralizing police power without independent institutions would replicate past failures, as seen with the Independent National Electoral Commission and local governments.

Agbakoba proposed adopting the South African constitutional model, which includes independent institutions like the Public Protector and Human Rights Commission. He urged the federal government to seize the opportunity to amend the constitution to devolve additional responsibilities to state and local governments, thereby improving governance and efficiency.