State Police Will Get Funding from Both Federal and State Governments — Senate Spokesman

Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, has clarified that the funding of the proposed state police will not fall solely on state governments, as the federal government will also contribute significant resources to ensure the new security architecture is adequately equipped and sustainable. Adaramodu made this known on Wednesday while fielding questions on Arise Television, shortly after the Senate passed the landmark Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) State Police Bill, 2026, which establishes a dual policing structure consisting of federal and state police services across the country. The passage of the bill, transmitted to the National Assembly by President Bola Tinubu, marks one of the most consequential security reforms in Nigeria's democratic history and sets the stage for a nationwide shift from a centrally controlled policing system to a more decentralised framework.

Addressing one of the most contentious issues surrounding the reform, Adaramodu emphasised that the financial burden of maintaining state police would be shared between the federal and state governments. "The responsibility for funding state police will not rest solely on the states. The federal government will also play a role by providing additional funding to ensure state police are well-equipped and adequately resourced to carry out the growing security responsibilities entrusted to them," the senator stated. His clarification comes amid widespread concerns that financially constrained states might struggle to fund their own police formations, potentially leading to underfunding, poor equipment, and operational inefficiencies that could undermine the entire reform initiative. Critics have warned that without a sustainable funding mechanism, state police could become vulnerable to abuse or fail to deliver the security improvements that citizens desperately need.

The Senate's passage of the bill was accompanied by the approval of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2026, which removed the sunset clause contained in the existing law and made the Police Trust Fund a permanent funding mechanism for the Nigeria Police. Under the proposed funding arrangement, the Trust Fund will receive resources from one per cent of total revenue accruing to the Federation Account, up from the current 0.5 per cent. This increase in statutory allocation is expected to provide a stable and predictable source of funding for both federal and state policing operations, reducing the reliance on annual budget appropriations that have often been subject to delays and shortfalls. Senator Adaramodu explained that the federal government's contribution to state police funding would be channelled through this enhanced Trust Fund framework, ensuring that resources are distributed equitably across all states based on their security needs and operational requirements.

Beyond funding, Adaramodu also addressed concerns about the potential abuse of state police by governors, assuring Nigerians that robust safeguards have been embedded in the legislation to prevent the force from being weaponised for partisan, ethnic, religious, or personal agendas. According to the senator, the law provides that the federal police can intervene and take over the roles and functions of a state police force if it is found to be operating outside its constitutional mandate. "If it is perceived that a governor is using state police to pursue a partisan, religious, or sectional agenda, the federal police can step in," Adaramodu said. He added that governors will not have sole authority over the appointment of state police commissioners, as recommendations will be reviewed by the Federal Police Service Commission, which will assess qualifications before approval. These safeguards, he insisted, are designed to prevent anyone from using state police for personal or political interests.

The senator also highlighted the operational benefits of state policing, arguing that localised recruitment and deployment would significantly improve security response times and community trust. Officers recruited from local communities, he noted, would have better knowledge of the terrain, stronger accountability to residents, and the ability to act faster without waiting for centralised approvals from Abuja. "Areas where we have serious and very pertinent problems in Nigerian police is, one, recruitment. Now, recruitment, once it is done in the local areas, which we now, let's say, state, we have more policemen and women recruited. We have them to be recruited among the locals who understand the terrain where they are going to operate. It means that we have now taken policing to the doorsteps of everyone in the local areas," he explained. This localised approach, he argued, would address the persistent challenge of police officers being deployed to unfamiliar environments where they lack local intelligence and community support.

The passage of the state police bill followed a rigorous clause-by-clause consideration and a manual voting process, after the electronic voting system developed technical glitches. Senior government officials, including the Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila and the governors of Kaduna, Ogun, and Ondo states, witnessed the proceedings from the floor of the Senate. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, who led the debate, described the proposal as one of the most consequential constitutional reforms undertaken since Nigeria's democratic transition, arguing that the current centralised policing structure had become increasingly overstretched by the country's expanding security threats, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, communal conflicts, organised crime, and cyber-related offences.

With Senate approval secured, the state police proposal now moves to the House of Representatives for concurrence, after which it will require presidential assent and ratification by at least 24 of the 36 state Houses of Assembly before becoming law. For now, the message from the Senate is clear: state police will be a shared responsibility, funded by both federal and state governments, and guarded by robust safeguards to prevent abuse. As Adaramodu put it, "These are important safeguards designed to prevent anyone from using state police for personal or political interests."

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