By Victoria Attah, Correspondent
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Transparency International (TI) Nigeria have urged lawmakers and the Federal Government to strengthen the proposed legal framework for state policing, warning that weak safeguards could expose the system to political manipulation and widen security disparities across the country.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Executive Director of CISLAC and Head of TI Nigeria, Comrade Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, said the constitutional amendment bill on state policing, recently passed by the National Assembly, requires further improvements before it is ratified by the State Houses of Assembly and signed into law by the President.
Rafsanjani said that although decentralised policing could enhance intelligence gathering, strengthen community trust and improve responses to local security threats, the reform alone would not resolve Nigeria’s security challenges without robust legal protections, sustainable funding and effective accountability mechanisms.
He warned that, without constitutional guarantees for operational independence and independent oversight, state police formations could be exploited by governors or other political actors to intimidate opposition figures, journalists, civil society groups and government critics, as well as influence electoral processes.
CISLAC also advocated transparent, merit-based recruitment, insisting that political loyalists, thugs and other politically exposed persons should not be admitted into state police formations if professionalism and public confidence are to be maintained.
The group further expressed concern over the financial and institutional capacity of many states, noting that several already struggle to meet salary and pension obligations. It cautioned that inadequate funding could hamper the recruitment, training, equipping and retention of professional officers.
According to the organisation, such disparities could create a two-tier policing system in which wealthier states maintain effective security institutions while poorer states are left with underfunded forces vulnerable to corruption and operational failure.
Beyond funding, CISLAC stressed that state governments must also demonstrate the administrative and technical capacity to manage modern police organisations through effective human resource management, disciplinary systems, intelligence coordination and compliance with national professional standards.
The group called for stronger oversight measures, including independent police service commissions, transparent procurement processes, regular audits, effective complaint procedures, enforceable sanctions for misconduct and comprehensive human rights training.
It also urged governments to prepare state police formations to tackle emerging security threats through investment in forensic investigations, cybercrime detection, digital intelligence, surveillance technology, specialised response units and continuous professional development.
Rafsanjani said state policing offers significant opportunities to improve local security responses but cautioned that inadequate safeguards could undermine the objectives of the reform.
He called on the 36 State Houses of Assembly to conduct comprehensive public hearings during the ratification process and urged the Federal Government and the National Assembly to establish a multi-stakeholder transitional committee to oversee the phased implementation of the reform.
CISLAC reaffirmed its commitment to working with governments, civil society organisations, traditional institutions, labour unions, the media and the private sector to ensure that any state policing framework promotes accountability, transparency, professionalism and equitable security for all Nigerians.
