The Federal Capital Territory, FCT, will not operate its own state police under the proposed policing system because Abuja does not have the constitutional structures required to manage a state police force, the Senate has said.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Yemi Adaramodu, explained that the FCT is different from Nigeria’s 36 states because it does not have a governor or a State House of Assembly.
According to him, the FCT is administered directly by the Federal Government through the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. The minister operates under the direction of the Federal Executive Council, while legislative responsibilities for Abuja are handled by the National Assembly.
Adaramodu said the proposed state police arrangement is designed for states with their own executive and legislative structures. Since the FCT does not have these institutions, it cannot operate a police force under the same arrangement.
He explained that policing in Abuja would therefore remain under the responsibility of the Nigeria Police Force, which is controlled by the Federal Government.
The clarification follows growing discussions over the Federal Government’s plan to introduce state police as part of broader efforts to improve security across the country.
The proposed system is expected to give state governments a greater role in responding to security challenges within their communities while allowing the Nigeria Police Force to continue operating at the federal level.
President Bola Tinubu is expected to receive the draft Executive National Policing Bill on September 3 as the Federal Government moves forward with the proposed changes to Nigeria’s policing structure.
The Senate’s position means that, under the planned arrangement, Abuja will continue to rely on the federal police system rather than establish a separate police force similar to those being proposed for the 36 states.