N’Assembly to Safeguard Against State Police Abuse

Opeyemi Bamidele, the Senate Leader, stated that the Nigerian National Assembly is working on legal safeguards to prevent abuses by state police. During a meeting with Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Bamidele acknowledged public fears regarding the potential for state governors to misuse decentralized police forces for political purposes.

He noted that while concerns about abuse are legitimate, the current federal police structure already allows governors significant influence over police deployment within their jurisdictions. Bamidele assured that the new framework would explicitly constrain potential abuses and include mechanisms to amend the constitution to minimize instances of such abuse.

He mentioned that the proposed amendments to the police act would provide detailed operational guidelines, emphasizing the importance of addressing these issues through constitutional processes. Bamidele expressed confidence that the National Assembly would expedite the passage of these amendments once transmitted.