State police: Ndume questions Senate’s rush to pass President’s bills

Senator Ali Ndume has thrown his weight behind the state police bill passed by the Senate, but warned that the upper chamber must not reduce itself to a platform where proposals from the President are rushed through without proper scrutiny.

Ndume, a former Senate Chief Whip and APC senator representing Borno South, spoke on Wednesday after the Senate passed the bill seeking to establish state police in Nigeria.

Although he voted for the bill, the outspoken lawmaker said he was uncomfortable with the speed with which the Senate moved on the proposal, insisting that major national issues must be subjected to deeper debate.

Speaking on ARISE News, Ndume said the Senate is supposed to be a “House of Deliberation” and not a chamber where lawmakers merely endorse whatever comes from the Presidency.

“I support the state police wholeheartedly. But the Senate is supposed to be very matured enough and looking at things critically. I’m not comfortable with just the President bringing up anything and we are checking and rushing to pass it,” he said.

He said senators are expected to act like elders by examining the implications of serious bills before taking decisions.

“The other name of Senate literally is the House of Deliberation. We are elders, because senators are supposed to be elders, and are supposed to look out for any idea, look out and analyse it, and deliberate properly,” Ndume added.

Asked whether some lawmakers appear too eager to align with the President’s position, Ndume replied, “Which is true.”

His comments have injected a fresh political twist into the state police debate, coming from a ruling party senator who supported the bill but still questioned the Senate’s handling of presidential proposals.

Ndume said his position should not be mistaken for opposition to state police, stressing that he voted for the bill because Nigeria urgently needs stronger security structures.

“I voted for the bill. My major concern, not from my aspect as a senator, is the intricacies, the implications, the law, the legal aspect. How do you synchronise it? How do you source their funds? How do they operate?” he asked.

The senator said state police must be treated as part of a wider security reform, not as a single cure for Nigeria’s insecurity.

According to him, the security and welfare of citizens remain the primary responsibility of government under Section 14(2) of the Constitution.

“The major problem we have in this country now is security and welfare of citizens. So if government is going to put everything, its energy, I am in support of that,” he said.

Ndume rejected arguments that state police should be condemned before it is even created, saying Nigerians should allow the system to be properly designed and tested.

“I disagree. We have not even done it, and how can you say it’s not working or it’s not going to work? That is a pessimistic view. We’re talking about establishing a state police under unified command, improving on what we have on the ground,” he said.

On fears that governors could use state police against opponents, journalists and critics, Ndume admitted that the concern was valid but said proper safeguards could prevent abuse.

He argued that similar fears already exist under the present centralised security structure, where the police, army, DSS and other agencies are ultimately under the President as Commander-in-Chief.

“Like the Nigerian Police Force we have, and the Nigerian Army, DSS, and everybody is under the C-in-C, and that’s the President. Can you say he’s abusing it?” he asked.

Ndume said some of his colleagues also raised concerns that governors could order state police commissioners to detain opponents, but insisted that the law could be designed to stop such abuse.

“My colleagues have expressed that fear too, that if you create a state police under the state governor, once the governor does not like you, he will call the Police Commissioner there and say, ‘Kai, go and pick Charles and lock him up till next month.’ And you’ll be there locked up till next month because if he doesn’t comply, another new Commissioner will be taken over from you. But it doesn’t work that way,” he said.

The senator said lawmakers had discussed the need for “safety valves” to stop governors from turning state police into political weapons.

He said security professionals and experts with practical experience must be involved in designing the operational framework.

Drawing from Borno State’s long battle with insurgency, Ndume said local security outfits had already shown that community-based policing can help protect vulnerable areas.

He cited the Civilian JTF and other local security groups, saying they had supported the military and helped communities withstand attacks.

“State police would have prevented some of the tragedies we’ve endured. As it is now, CRAC in Borno is one of the most effective. And then we have the Civilian JTF — they are working, they are very effective, they are complementing the soldiers,” he said.

Ndume said many villages in Nigeria still do not have police stations, adding that state police could bring security closer to the people.

According to him, if every local government headquarters has a divisional police officer and armed personnel, many communities would be better defended.

He also pushed the argument further, saying Nigeria may eventually need local government police.

“I’m advocating not only state police. There should be local government police, or county police, like abroad,” he said.

Ndume expressed confidence that the state police project could succeed if properly implemented.

He said President Bola Tinubu, whom he described as a long-time supporter of state police, could make history if the initiative works under his administration.

“I’m hoping that the President, who has been nursing, who has been supporting this idea for a very long time, will see it work under his leadership. And he will go down in history, especially if it works. It will work well,” Ndume said.