State Police Must Have Dedicated Funding to Protect Citizens – Abbas
By Nafiu Muhammad Lema
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has stressed that any plan to establish state police must be backed by sustainable funding framework to prevent the system from becoming a burden or a danger to Nigerians.
Speaking on Wednesday during the National Security Roundtable held as part of the 2026 National Assembly Open Week in Abuja, Abbas warned that poorly funded state police formations could result in unpaid officers who may pose risks to the very citizens they are expected to safeguard.
He said the issue of financing must be addressed before state police are introduced, suggesting the creation of a dedicated policing fund, federal financial support tied to strict standards, or other sustainable funding arrangements.
According to him, no state should be allowed to establish a police force it cannot adequately maintain.
The Speaker also recommended a gradual implementation of state policing instead of launching the system simultaneously across all 36 states. He explained that Nigeria should adopt a phased approach, learning from countries such as Germany and Canada, while ensuring that national minimum operational standards are established before any state police command begins operations.
Abbas argued that Nigeria’s growing population and vast geographical spread have made it increasingly difficult for a centrally controlled police force to effectively secure every part of the country. He noted that local policing would enhance the fight against banditry, kidnapping, farmer-herder conflicts, and attacks on schools by leveraging community knowledge.
He further called for the development of an integrated criminal and biometric database to improve intelligence gathering and information sharing among security agencies.
The Speaker urged policymakers and other stakeholders to carefully address key issues such as funding, accountability, oversight, and intelligence coordination to ensure that the proposed state police system strengthen national security rather than creating new challenges.
