The Senate indicated that the Federal Capital Territory was omitted from the proposed state police organization because it lacks a governor and a State House of Assembly.
According to the Senate, the FCT continues to be directly administered by the federal government.
Yemi Adaramodu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, provided the clarification on Friday while speaking with Saturday PUNCH, amid enquiries about why the FCT was not included in the constitutional framework for the establishment of state police.
Adaramodu stated that the administrative structure of the FCT was fundamentally different from that of the 36 states, noting that the territory is led by a minister who reports to the Federal Executive Council.
He said, “I have heard many people raise a lot of questions on why the Federal Capital Territory is not among the plan for state police. The FCT issue is different. It is under the Federal Government.
“Again, the FCT does not have a governor. It is run by a minister who subscribes to the Federal Executive Council. It is from this FEC that the FCT takes directives and its administrative relevance.
“So, the federal capital does not have an assembly. It is the National Assembly that legislates for the FCT. This is why it can’t be different from what the Federal Government does. Therefore, the federal police are in charge.”
The clarification comes as the Federal Government works to revamp the nation’s security framework, driven by growing demands for policing decentralization and constitutional backing for state police.
Recall that the Presidency announced that President Bola Tinubu is set to receive the draft Executive National Policing Bill on September 3 as a key component of ongoing police reform efforts.
Funding and administration of state police
While the proposed constitutional amendment creates the legal foundation for state-level policing, this Executive Bill will establish the operational structure needed to execute the new security model.
The proposed framework has sparked debate over the funding and administration of state-level security forces.
Under the constitutional amendments, state Houses of Assembly would be empowered to enact laws governing the establishment, organization, administration, funding, and oversight of their respective police services. While primary financial responsibility rests with individual states, the framework allows for federal support.
Specifically, a new Section 216A provides that the Federal Government may offer grants or aid to state police forces upon the recommendation of the National Police Council, subject to National Assembly approval. Critics note, however, that the clause lacks a defined funding formula, a guaranteed revenue stream, or a mandatory minimum federal contribution.
Under this structure, primary financial responsibility falls on state governments, while supplementary federal funding remains contingent on a formal recommendation from the National Police Council and subsequent approval by the National Assembly.
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National Police Council
The President chairs the National Police Council, which comprises senior federal and state officials. This setup suggests that the proposed funding model could serve as a major point of leverage in federal-state relations once the new security architecture takes effect.
Addressing the territory’s unique status, Adaramodu clarified that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) falls outside this framework under the existing constitutional structure. Because the FCT is administered directly by the Federal Government, it lacks the state-level institutional architecture required to establish an independent police force.
With the planned state police structure set to go through more harmonisation and legislative processes, the subject of how policing would function in the FCT is likely to remain linked to the territory’s distinct constitutional and administrative position.
