The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of hurrying legislation on state police to create the impression that it is tackling Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
In a statement issued on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party described the State Police Bill as a “panicky” and politically driven move, rather than a well-thought-out constitutional reform.
While restating its support for state policing in principle, the ADC said the reform should not be marketed as an instant solution to banditry, kidnapping and terrorism.
It argued that the policy requires strong institutional safeguards before it can be implemented.
The party accused the Federal Government of repackaging “a long-standing national consensus as a bold new initiative” and of pushing the constitutional amendment through the National Assembly without sufficient 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 opposition party also questioned the timing of the move, asking why the Tinubu administration waited until “almost the end of its tenure” to pursue state police aggressively if it was genuinely committed to the reform.
The party maintained that passing a law alone would not resolve Nigeria’s security challenges.
It listed recruitment, training, funding, command structures, intelligence coordination, judicial oversight and correctional reforms as critical elements that cannot be built overnight.
