Amid efforts to establish state police, Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has proposed constitutionally guaranteed funding to ensure the operational independence of the proposed security outfit.
Bamidele said the National Assembly is incorporating safeguards into the proposed constitutional amendment to ensure state police remain financially independent, professionally managed and accountable.
He said one of the key proposals is to make funding for state police a first-line charge in the Constitution, similar to the funding arrangement for the judiciary.
“The commissioner of police and the State Police Service Commission must have a guaranteed source of funds… so that the police chief will not be subject to the whims and caprices of a state governor”, he said.
Bamidele warned that constitutional funding is necessary to prevent governors from withholding resources whenever they disagree with police authorities.
“We must prevent such a situation. We are, therefore, under the obligation to make provision for a certain percentage of a state’s budget specifically for the operations of state police services. Access to funds must be clearly spelt out”, he said.
The Senate Leader also cautioned that political interference is not the only threat facing state police, saying wealthy individuals, organised criminal groups and other vested interests could compromise the outfit if its funding is not adequately protected.
“If a state police service is not well funded, it is not only political actors that can abuse it. Business class, criminals and cabals can also abuse state police because he who pays the piper dictates the tune”, he said.
Bamidele assured Nigerians that the National Assembly would address concerns raised by stakeholders before concluding work on the constitutional amendment, which seeks to allow states to establish their own police services under a framework that guarantees accountability and operational independence.
