The Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo, has defended the creation of state police, describing it as a constitutional necessity in a federal system and arguing that fears of abuse by state governors should not be used to oppose the proposal.
Adebayo made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today while responding to concerns over proposals to establish state police, including suggestions that funding for the new security outfits be deducted directly from the Federation Account to shield them from political interference.
He argued that Nigeria’s federal structure already empowers different levels of government to make laws within their constitutional jurisdictions, making it illogical for states to legislate on criminal matters without having the authority to enforce those laws through their own police services.
“The moment you have a federation, you have legislative lists given to different levels of government. It goes without saying that every level of government is authorised to police,” he said.
Questioning the rationale behind denying states policing powers, Adebayo said it was inconsistent for state governments to have legislatures that enact criminal laws and courts that interpret them while relying solely on the federal police for enforcement.
He maintained that the Constitution already provides safeguards against abuse of power through its provisions on fundamental rights, stressing that such protections apply to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies alike.
Responding to concerns that governors could misuse state police for political purposes, Adebayo argued that similar risks already exist at the federal level.
“If you don’t trust the governors, why would you trust the president? There are histories of a president misusing the police. So why have we not abolished the presidency or the federal police?” he asked.
According to him, policing is an inherent function of government, and every tier of government should be empowered to enforce laws within its constitutional jurisdiction.
He also suggested that local government police could be established to enforce sanitation laws, market regulations, traffic rules and other local offences.
Drawing comparisons with other federal systems, Adebayo cited the United States, where state and city police departments operate alongside federal law enforcement agencies.
He argued that fears of abuse should instead be addressed through professionalism, constitutional oversight and democratic accountability rather than by denying states policing powers.
“If you have a governor who is misbehaving, then you vote him out in the next election. How you abuse police, or you don’t abuse police, how you manage law enforcement, will be part of what you consider before deciding whether somebody is fit to be a governor,” he said.
On the proposal to deduct funding for state police directly from the Federation Account, Adebayo said the arrangement would not amount to federal control but would guarantee stable financing for an essential public institution.
“It doesn’t mean that the federal government will control. What it means is that the money is spoken for,” he said.
He likened the proposal to the constitutional funding framework for state judiciaries, arguing that direct funding ensures resources allocated to critical institutions are not diverted.
Adebayo added that Nigeria should fully embrace the principles of federalism, noting that constitutional mechanisms governing shared legislative responsibilities already exist in other federations, including Australia, India, the United States and Canada.
