Sanwo-Olu, Abiodun hail Senate’s passage of state police bill

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and his Ogun State counterpart, Dapo Abiodun, have commended the Senate for passing the Constitution Alteration Bill seeking to establish state police across Nigeria.

The governors described the development as a landmark reform that would strengthen the country’s security architecture and improve community policing.

Sanwo-Olu, in a post on his X handle on Wednesday, also praised President Bola Tinubu for championing the reform.

He wrote, “I commend the Senate for passing the constitutional amendment bill to establish state police across Nigeria. This is a bold and necessary response to a long-standing national conversation on how we protect our communities.”

The Lagos governor also appreciated President Bola Tinubu for his state police visoon, which he expresses confidence that it is a bold security refoorm.

“My appreciation also goes to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This reform is a direct result of his visionary leadership and commitment to restructuring our security architecture.

” He has championed this cause since his days as Governor of Lagos State, knowing that a safer Nigeria requires empowering authorities who actually know their terrain,” he said.

According to him, the passage of the bill gives Lagos an opportunity to build a policing system that reflects its unique security realities.

“For us in Lagos, our security needs are unique, dynamic and constantly evolving. We know our streets and our neighborhoods better than anyone else. This progress finally gives us the opportunity to build a system that is fully responsive to our local realities. There is still work to be done but this is major progress toward a safer Nigeria,” he stated.

Similarly, Abiodun, in a post on X, commended Tinubu for presenting the Executive Bill on state police and praised the Senate for supporting the initiative.

He wrote, “We commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his visionary leadership in presenting the Executive Bill on State Police, which has now been passed by the Senate.

“The passage of this landmark legislation marks a significant step towards strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture by bringing policing closer to the people and empowering states to play a more active role in maintaining law and order.”

He expressed confidence that state police would improve intelligence gathering and enhance security across the country.

“We also applaud the Senate for its support of this historic reform and remain confident that State Police will enhance community security, improve intelligence gathering, and contribute to a safer and more prosperous Nigeria,” he said.

The Senate on Wednesday passed the Constitution Alteration Bill seeking to establish state police across the federation after more than two-thirds of lawmakers voted in support during plenary.

The proposed legislation seeks to create a state policing framework that will operate alongside the existing federal police system as part of efforts to address insecurity through decentralised policing.