Senator representing Ekiti Central and Leader of the Senate, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, has assured Nigerians that the National Assembly would put in place constitutional safeguards to curtail serving governors who might want to deploy State Police for sinister motives.
Allaying fears over possible abuse of State Police, the Leader of the Senate maintained that the growing apprehension of Nigerians is being addressed in the ongoing constitutional amendment process.
Checks revealed that the Senate last week joined the House of Representatives to pass the Bill for the establishment of State Police, after considering the report of its Committee on the Review of the Constitution, presented by Deputy Senate President and Chairman of the Committee, Senator Barau Jibrin.
Addressing State House correspondents on Tuesday, when he accompanied Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, who came to present his Certificate of Return to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Senate Leader described the fears of Nigerians as legitimate but maintained that they would be addressed.
He said: “There will always be fears and concerns. Whether those concerns are well-founded is another issue altogether, but we are not unmindful of them. In most cases, they are legitimate concerns.”
The federal lawmaker, who submitted that even the current federal security architecture could be abused by desperate governors who could secure the buy-in of the Inspector General of Police for deployment of policemen, however restated his assurance that the proposed legislation for State Police would contain legal inhibitions to prevent abuse.
“We are putting mechanisms in the law, as we are amending the Constitution, that will prevent or minimise instances of abuse by state governors.
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“It is not everything that can go into the Constitution, but what is important is that we are taking these concerns into consideration,”
He further disclosed that after the constitutional amendment processes for the establishment of State Police have been exhausted, detailed operational safeguards would be incorporated into amendments to the Police Act.
“In the amendment to the Police Act that will follow, we will spell out more details—details that cannot possibly go into the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Senator Bamidele expressed confidence that State Assemblies will accord the bill expeditious passage, as he noted that the proposed legislation enjoys the overwhelming support of state governors.
“All the governors, or most of the governors, are on the same page with us, and that will be demonstrated by the speed with which the bill will receive concurrence in their state Houses of Assembly by the time we eventually transmit it.
“It is important that we all know that state police is a child of necessity. It is no longer about political interests or politics. All of us are on the same page that there is a need for this.”
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