President Bola Tinubu has urged the House of Representatives to build strong safeguards into the proposed state police constitutional amendment, warning against potential abuse by state governors.

Speaking during an interfaith Iftar with lawmakers at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Tinubu stressed that the creation of state police in Nigeria must not become “a straight free fall for everybody.”

He called for checks and balances rooted in lessons from Nigeria’s First Republic, when regional police forces were allegedly misused to intimidate political opponents.

The President’s renewed push for constitutional reform on state policing comes ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He has also appealed to the Senate and state governors within the past week, underscoring that “security is local” and requires collaborative action between federal and state authorities.

Tinubu noted that insecurity across the country — including insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, kidnapping, and separatist agitations — demands a more decentralized security structure.

Supporters argue that state-controlled police would improve intelligence gathering, enable faster response times, and strengthen community policing.

However, critics warn of risks such as political weaponisation, electoral manipulation, financial strain on states, and inter-state security conflicts.

A constitutional amendment would require a two-thirds majority in both chambers of the National Assembly and approval from at least 24 state Houses of Assembly.

The President also commended lawmakers for supporting key economic reforms, including fuel subsidy removal and the floating of the naira, despite public criticism.

As debate intensifies, the proposed state police amendment in Nigeria remains one of the most consequential governance reforms under Tinubu’s administration.