A chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Buba Galadima, has argued that the proposed creation of state police will not solve Nigeria’s insecurity crisis, warning that it could instead be used by political leaders to intimidate opponents and undermine democracy.
Galadima made the remarks on Tuesday during an interview on the ARISE News Morning Show while reacting to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, recently passed by the National Assembly and now awaiting consideration by the 36 state Houses of Assembly.
Questioning the effectiveness of the proposed policing system, Galadima maintained that establishing state police would not automatically address the country’s worsening security challenges.
“If the Nigerian Police and the Nigerian Military cannot solve the security situation in Nigeria, I wonder how state police would be able to do that,” he said.
The elder statesman alleged that the push for state police was driven by political interests ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“All that we know is that the president and the governors are looking for state police before the elections so that they can use them as political thugs to attack the opposition, disrupt elections and kill democracy,” he said.
Drawing from history, Galadima recalled the era of the Native Authority Police, alleging that the institution was frequently used to harass, intimidate and detain opposition figures before elections.
“I was old enough to witness what happened during the Native Authority Police. As elections drew near, they would arrest opposition members on flimsy allegations, such as insulting the Emir, the chief or the judge, and keep them in detention,” he said.
According to him, the alleged abuse of the Native Authority Police forced many people to leave parts of Northern Nigeria.
Galadima further warned that state police could fuel ethnic and religious divisions if recruitment is dominated by a single ethnic or religious group in any state.
“If only one tribe or one religion controls a state’s police, Nigerians from other parts of the country may no longer enjoy the freedom to live and conduct their businesses as guaranteed by the Constitution,” he said.
He concluded that the proposed policing structure would create more problems than solutions.
“For me, it will create more problems, more division and more suspicion,” he said.
The State Police Bill was recently passed by the National Assembly as part of the ongoing constitutional amendment process. It must secure approval from at least 24 of the 36 state Houses of Assembly before proceeding to the next stage of the constitutional amendment process.
