The House of Representatives has assured citizens that the proposed state police system will not serve as private armies for state governors.

Speaker Tajudeen Abbas gave this assurance on Wednesday during the National Security Roundtable at the 2026 National Assembly Open Week in Abuja. He emphasized that the reform aims to strengthen local security while maintaining national oversight.

Abbas described the bill as one of the most critical constitutional reforms currently before the National Assembly. He highlighted that this marks the historic first time a sitting president has formally transmitted an executive bill to establish state policing.

The House leader promised that the green chamber will rigorously scrutinize the bill. This process will ensure the new system protects the rule of law and strengthens democratic governance rather than undermining it.

"State police will not be private armies for the various state governors," Abbas stated. "For the first time in our history, a sitting president has made state police a central part of national reform. He has done so not with words alone, but with a bill that now sits before the House of Representatives."