State Police will cost us N50 billion per state. Are we ready?

The Senate just passed a constitutional amendment bill for state police for a second reading. This is a major step forward in the conversation about decentralising security in Nigeria. But let us not kid ourselves — the real question is whether our states can actually afford it.

BusinessDay has done the math, and it is sobering. For a medium-sized state with a population of five million people, you are looking at nearly N50 billion just to recruit, train, and equip a police force of 15,000 officers. That figure does not even include infrastructure like barracks, headquarters, patrol vehicles, weapons, or technology. And the annual salary bill alone for that force? Between N27 billion and N36 billion, depending on what you pay them. Our FAAC allocations have improved, but can any state governor honestly justify that kind of spending without turning into a political slush fund?

The proponents say state police will improve local intelligence and response times. I agree in principle. But I have seen how state governments run their security votes. I have seen how local government chairmen are treated like governors' errand boys. What stops a governor from using state police to harass political opponents or silence critics? The bill is not just about money — it is about safeguards against political interference and coordination with the federal police. Without those safeguards, we are simply trading one problem for another. Be honest — do you trust your state governor with his own police force?