The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the President Bola Tinubu administration’s handling of the State Police Bill, describing it as a panicked legislative response to Nigeria’s security crisis rather than a well-considered institutional reform.
While affirming its support for a decentralised policing, the party saif the bill was rushed through the national assembly without the broad public consultation that a constitutional amendment of such magnitude demands.
“What we are witnessing is a hurried response to a worsening security crisis, not the careful institutional planning required to build a functional, accountable, and effective policing system,” the party said in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi.
The ADC questioned the administration’s sincerity, asking why a government that claims commitment to state policing waited until nearly the end of its tenure to act. The party also warned that passing a law was “only the beginning, and probably the earliest part,” noting that the recruitment, training, funding, and oversight structure cannot be assembled overnight, particularly ahead of the 2027 election cycle.
The party further cautioned against using state police as a substitute for reforming existing Nigeria Police Force, warning that layering a new structure over an unreformed federal force would only “duplicate weakness instead of multiplying effectiveness.”
“Security is too serious to be treated as political posturing,” the statement concluded.
