Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has declared that the debate over whether Nigeria should establish state police has been settled, urging policymakers to concentrate on designing an effective operational framework while pursuing broader constitutional reforms to strengthen the country’s federal security and justice system.
Speaking virtually at the ARISE News Town Hall on State Police, Soludo said state policing should be viewed as part of Nigeria’s gradual transition towards a more functional federal structure, stressing that reforms to revenue allocation and the judiciary must accompany the initiative.
The governor, who apologised for his inability to attend the event physically because of scheduling conflicts, commended ARISE News for convening what he described as an important national conversation.
He also praised the National Assembly for advancing the constitutional amendment on state police and lauded President Bola Tinubu for championing reforms aimed at deepening Nigeria’s federal system.
According to Soludo, the national conversation has moved beyond the question of whether state police should exist.
> “The issue is no longer whether or not to have state police. I think we have gone beyond that. The issue now is how,” he said.
The governor said Anambra’s experience in tackling insecurity had demonstrated the importance of coordination among security agencies.
Without dwelling on the state’s achievements, he noted that clearing communities previously under siege, dismantling criminal camps and restoring normalcy required collaboration between federal, state and private security outfits.
He disclosed that committees involving the National Security Adviser, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Chief of Staff to the President and state governors were already working on the implementation framework for state policing.
Soludo said practical issues, including the calibre of weapons to be used by state police officers, must be addressed to ensure the new security outfit can effectively confront heavily armed criminals.
He, however, cautioned against treating state police as a standalone reform.
According to him, the initiative forms part of what he described as the “unfinished business” of building a sustainable federal security and justice system.
While acknowledging progress in constitutional devolution through reforms in electricity markets, local government autonomy and state policing, Soludo argued that the current revenue-sharing formula remains inconsistent with the growing responsibilities being assigned to states.
He maintained that states cannot effectively discharge additional constitutional duties while receiving only about 26 per cent of federation revenue, compared to the Federal Government’s 53 per cent share.
The governor proposed that the Federal Government should retain no more than 40 per cent of federation revenue, with the balance devolved to the states.
Soludo also called for comprehensive judicial reforms, describing Nigeria’s judicial structure as largely unitary despite operating a federal constitution.
He questioned why disputes involving purely state matters, particularly land cases, should pass through the entire federal appellate process to the Supreme Court.
According to him, land disputes account for nearly 70 per cent of litigation in Anambra and often take between 30 and 40 years to reach final determination.
He argued that such cases should terminate within state judicial institutions, noting that countries operating true federal systems, such as the United States, have separate state supreme courts.
The governor said establishing state appellate courts and supreme courts would accelerate justice delivery and complement ongoing reforms, including the creation of state correctional centres.
He urged the National Assembly and the Presidency to use the state police debate as an opportunity to complete Nigeria’s transition to a truly federal system through comprehensive constitutional restructuring.
Soludo said reforms in policing, fiscal federalism and the judiciary must progress together to build a sustainable federal security and justice architecture for the country.
