State police: Senator Nwaebonyi explains how various crimes will be handled

Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi has provided insight into the expected operations of Nigeria’s proposed state policing system.

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The lawmaker, who also serves as Deputy Senate Whip, said the specific crimes to be handled by the state police and the Federal Police Service (currently the Nigeria Police Force) will be clearly defined by the State Houses of Assembly and the National Assembly.

Nwaebonyi made the clarification during an interview on Arise Television on Thursday, June 25, 2026.

“The Federal Police Service — which will no longer be called the Nigeria Police Force — will handle federal offences, that is, offences created under laws enacted by the National Assembly,” he said.

“The state police, on the other hand, will focus on local crimes as defined by laws made by the State Houses of Assembly. For instance, when it comes to elections, which are a federal exercise, the federal police will be in charge. The state police will handle other crimes such as kidnapping, banditry, and other offences that have been domesticated by state laws.”

He added that the federal police will handle issues relating to border crimes.

“There is no law bordering on terrorism today that has not been domesticated by every state in Nigeria.

“So the state police will tackle these crimes head-on, while the Federal Police Service will focus on border patrol, interstate security, and other federal crimes,” he added.