The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of rushing the State Police Bill in an attempt to create the impression that it is actively addressing Nigeria’s growing insecurity.
In a statement issued on Friday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party described the State Police Bill as a panicky and politically motivated move rather than a carefully planned constitutional reform.
While reaffirming its support for state policing in principle, the ADC stressed that the reform should not be presented as an immediate solution to challenges such as banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism.
According to the party, the success of state policing depends on the establishment of strong institutional safeguards before implementation.
The ADC also accused the Federal Government of repackaging a long standing national consensus as a bold new initiative while pushing the constitutional amendment through the National Assembly without adequate public consultation.
“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 ADC stated.
The party further questioned the timing of the renewed push for state police, asking why the Tinubu administration waited until almost the end of its tenure to aggressively pursue the reform if it was truly committed to the initiative.
According to the opposition party, passing legislation alone will not solve Nigeria’s deep rooted security problems.
It emphasized that recruitment, training, funding, command structures, intelligence coordination, judicial oversight, and correctional reforms are critical components that require long term planning and cannot be established overnight.
The ADC maintained that meaningful security reform must go beyond political optics and focus on building sustainable institutions capable of effectively protecting lives and property across the country.
