The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, on Tuesday allayed longstanding concerns over the proposed creation of state police, insisting that the constitutional amendment bill before the National Assembly contains sufficient safeguards to prevent political abuse and ensure accountability.
Kalu, who is also the chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, gave the assurance at a reception hosted by the Ambassador of the European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Amb Gautier Mignot, in Abuja, where he rallied support from European Union Heads of Mission for Nigeria’s ongoing constitutional reform process.
The Deputy Speaker said fears that governors could weaponise state-controlled police formations against political opponents had been carefully addressed in the proposed legislation through constitutional checks and institutional oversight.
“And to legitimate concerns about abuse, concerns we have heard, including from partners in this room – the bill responds not with assurances but with architecture. Our objective is not simply to decentralise policing; it is to constitutionalise accountability.
“We have put guardrails in the way the state police are going to be operated. The guardrails will not allow any abuse,” a statement issued by the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Speaker, Levinus Nwabughiogwu, quoted Kalu as saying.
