27 years after Nigeria returned to democratic rule and decades after the country abandoned regional policing, the National Assembly has finally pushed the country to the threshold of one of its most consequential constitutional reforms.
But the passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill may have ended the legislative battle only to begin a far more contentious political one.
The debate has quickly shifted from whether Nigeria needs state police to whether Nigeria’s governors can be trusted with them.
That question has dominated public discourse since the Senate approved the bill on Wednesday, despite the legislation containing multiple constitutional safeguards designed to prevent abuse.
The bill represents a dramatic departure from Nigeria’s long-standing centralised policing structure.
