State Police Bill Finally Happening — This Week
Last update: June 10, 2026
Disclaimer: This website may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you click on the link and make a purchase. We only recommend products or services that we personally use and believe will add value to our readers. Your support is appreciated!
Big shake-up coming to Nigeria’s security setup — and it’s happening this week, according to the Senate Leader.
Right, so here’s the gist from cbinews.tv:
The National Assembly is gearing up to pass that long-debated state police bill this week.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central, told PUNCH it’s about time. With security challenges getting worse, he reckons the reform is “long overdue” and there’s “no reason for further delay”.
What’s different this time? They’re pulling the state police amendment out of the wider constitutional review mess to fast-track it. Once it passes in NASS, it heads straight to the 36 state Houses of Assembly. Bamidele says consultations have already happened with everyone that matters — constitutional review committees, the Attorney General, the Chief of Staff, the Inspector General of Police, the lot.
He was pretty blunt about where Nigerians stand: “We stand with Nigerians on this issue. A cross-section of the Nigerian public has made it abundantly clear that there cannot be a better time to establish state police than now.”
On military spending oversight
Bamidele also pushed back on calls for a public probe into military spending. His take? Dragging the armed forces through a public trial mid-conflict would be “the most unpatriotic course of action”. He says the Senate’s Defence, Army, Navy, and Air Force committees already handle oversight, including checking military procurements at home and abroad.
Rubber stamp Senate? Not quite, he says
There’s been chatter that the 10th Senate is too cosy with the Executive. Bamidele’s not having it. He says they’ve quietly sent back names the President submitted for confirmation over eligibility issues and even shaped those tax reform bills behind closed doors before they hit the Senate floor. “We chose to resolve our disagreements privately rather than perform them publicly,” he told PUNCH.
He also made the point that once you step into the Senate chamber, party jerseys come off. “You enter as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” not APC, PDP or LP.
The highs and lows
Lowest point for the 10th Senate so far? He called the drama around a female senator’s suspension a “painful distraction”.
On the wins, he pointed to new laws on education, agriculture, health, taxation, and several federal universities he sponsored. Plus, one of his early moves was the bill bringing back Nigeria’s original national anthem — signed into law just before Democracy Day 2023.
Attribution: cbinews.tv, based on Senator Opeyemi Bamidele’s interview with PUNCH.
#StatePolice #NigeriaSenate #OpeyemiBamidele #NationalAssembly #NigeriaSecurity #10thSenate #ConstitutionalAmendment #NigerianPolitics #CBINews
