By Felix Umande

The push for state police in Nigeria has gained fresh momentum as Benue, Ogun, Delta, Plateau, Kwara, Cross River, Enugu and Nasarawa State Houses of Assembly have approved the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, providing for the establishment of State Police Services.

They join Edo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers and Zamfara which had earlier endorsed the constitutional amendment required to institute state policing.

The proposed alteration bill amends Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution to replace the single Nigeria Police Force with a Federal Police Service and State Police Services as part of efforts to address the country’s security challenges.

The bill was transmitted to the 36 State Houses of Assembly on September 16, 2026, by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, for consideration. Under Section 9 of the Constitution, an amendment requires approval of at least two-thirds of the state assemblies, representing 24 states.

In Benue, the House adopted the bill during Tuesday’s plenary presided over by Speaker Rt. Hon. Berger Alfred Emberga. The executive bill was presented by Majority Leader Hon. Peter Bemdoo Ipusu, who urged accelerated consideration.

Ipusu said state policing would improve grassroots intelligence gathering, quicker response to emergencies, address peculiar threats such as rural banditry, farmer-herder conflicts and urban crime, and allow the federal police to focus on national security. He also cited employment generation and stronger accountability.

Speaker Emberga directed the Clerk to transmit the decision to the National Assembly.

In Ogun, the Assembly passed resolution H.R. No. 194/OG/2025-2026 on Tuesday following a report by the Ad-hoc Committee on Constitutional Review chaired by former Speaker Olakunle Oluomo. Members voted in favour of all 26 clauses. Speaker Daisi Elemide described the decision as historic and said a clean copy would be transmitted to the National Assembly.

In Delta, all 23 members present at plenary on Tuesday unanimously approved the bill. Majority Leader Emeka Nwaobi said the dual policing system would guarantee security of lives and property and address insecurity at local levels.

Speaker Emomotimi Guwor, who is also Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures, said it was a significant step towards responsive community policing.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill said it has submitted the draft National Policing Bill, 2026, and 29 consequential amendment bills to the Ministry of Justice for legislative drafting review and validation.

In a statement Tuesday, Chairman of the Working Group and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the submission was made on October 19, 2026, to the Attorney-General of the Federation.

He said the ministry’s review will ensure conformity with legislative drafting standards and avoid conflict with existing laws, and is expected to return validated drafts on or before October 30, 2026, for final consideration before presentation to President Bola Tinubu.

Gbajabiamila said the bill seeks to establish the constitutional and legislative framework for a dual policing structure. President Tinubu had inaugurated the seven-member Working Group on July 7 to produce a technically robust, implementation-ready draft.

By Felix Umande

The current state of Ugbema Roundabout, a major junction in Benue State connecting many neighbouring states, has become a source of pain and anger for residents who say the situation deserves urgent attention.

Ugbema Roundabout is an important junction through which thousands of people, vehicles and goods pass daily on their way to different locations.

For travellers, commercial drivers, farmers, traders and residents, it serves as a critical passage linking different communities and routes.

However, the condition of the junction has deteriorated badly, with road users describing it as more of a death trap than a major gateway.

What worries residents the more is that even as the road lies abandoned, politicians have found it useful as a forest of campaign billboards.

Dr. Manasseh Ortoho described the road as a death trap. In his words:

“Ugbema connects communities and travellers to several states, including Taraba, Ebonyi, Cross River and Adamawa, making it a critical economic and transportation corridor. Yet, this federal road has suffered decades of neglect. From Yandev through Ipav, Tyowanye and Abwa, down to Ugbema Junction, the condition has become a serious threat to motorists, traders, commuters and residents.

“Political influence should translate into meaningful development for the people. Our roads should not become death traps while we continue to celebrate the political strength of our people. Ugbema Junction deserves attention. Yandev–Ipav–Tyowanye–Abwa–Ugbema deserves reconstruction,” Ortoho added.

Another resident, Mr. Atsu, said what should be a symbol of movement, commerce and connection has become a symbol of neglect, suffering and shame.

He said Ugbema Junction is not just another road but a major gateway linking Ugbema with Katsina-Ala, Zaki-Biam, Taraba state and beyond. It also connects Cross River, Abuja, Makurdi, Jato-Aka and several other Benue towns and villages and beyond.

“Every single day, thousands of people pass through here. Farmers transporting yams, cassava and rice to the market, students going to school, sick people being rushed to the hospital, traders, business owners, civil servants and travellers. When this junction fails, the entire economic chain of this part of Benue suffers,” he said.

According to residents, instead of a motorable roundabout, people now face massive potholes filled with dirty, stagnant water, vehicles breaking down daily, goods getting spoilt, frequent accidents and pedestrians wading through mud to cross.

Another resident, Mr. Thadeus, said the Ugbema–Adikpo Road is an important transport link for residents, farmers and traders and called on the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Works and relevant road maintenance agencies, to assess and prioritise its rehabilitation.

A popular Benue activist, Mr. Ukan Kurugh, recounted a harrowing experience.

“I got stuck for almost five hours on my way to Cross River State through the Ihugh road. The experience was really frustrating and heartbreaking. How long will road users continue to suffer this much just to travel from one place to another? These roads are not just roads; they are lifelines connecting communities, businesses and families,” he said.

Residents are appealing to the Federal Government, Federal Ministry of Works, Benue State Government and relevant agencies to provide proper drainage, grading and reconstruction of the roundabout, insisting that good roads are not a luxury but essential infrastructure for development.

By Philip Nyam

A coalition of Plateau indigenous youth organisations has defended the Department of State Services (DSS), the Mobile Police Force and Operation Rainbow, saying recent petitions and viral videos accusing security operatives of bias and criminality are deliberate attempts to derail anti-insurgency efforts.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, President of the Berom Youths Moulder-Association and Coordinator of Indigenous Youth Nationalities, Northern Zone, Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, Esq., accused Fulani groups of attempting to undermine joint security operations through petitions and social media campaigns.

He called on the Federal Government to protect the DSS, Mobile Police Force and Operation Rainbow from what the coalition described as political and criminal pressure.

The youth bodies said the campaigns were a distraction that could benefit militants and called on the Federal Government to sustain ongoing security operations while investigating any allegations of wrongdoing.

The coalition, comprising Afizere, Anaguta, Atakar, Atten, Bache, Berom, Gamai, Irigwe, Kunlere, Mushere, Mwaghavul, Ron, Pan, Tarok and other ethnic youth bodies, stated its position at a press conference held on Wednesday at the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT

Addressing journalists, leaders of the coalition said their attention had been drawn to a petition dated October 5, 2026, signed by Mujahid Abdullahi, Esq., on behalf of the Plateau chapters of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Gan Allah Fulani Development Association of Nigeria (GAFDAN), Fulbe Youth Development Association (FUYODA) and other organisations.

The petitioners had alleged biased and discriminatory operations against Fulani communities and held the DSS responsible for the killings and abductions of Fulani members, cattle rustling, the poisoning and shooting of cattle, among other crimes.

A video making the rounds on Facebook and other social media platforms made similar claims, alleging that only the Nigerian Army was acting in the interest of peace on the Plateau.

The coalition said the petition and video were intended to distort the facts and mislead Federal Government authorities and the general public.

According to the group, five objectives were discernible from the alleged campaign:

1. To intimidate and blackmail the State Director of the DSS, Mr Paul Damian.
2. To discredit the operations of the DSS, Mobile Police Force and Operation Rainbow, which, according to the coalition, led to the arrest of a notorious militant leader, Ardo Mahmoud Adams.
3. To disrupt ongoing joint operations involving local security volunteers.
4. To discourage inter-agency collaboration and intelligence sharing.
5. To portray the Nigerian Army as the only effective security force in the state.

Presenting what it described as the facts of the matter, the coalition claimed that joint operations by the DSS, Mobile Police Force and Operation Rainbow had exposed a pattern in which cattle were allegedly grazed alongside armed militants who attacked and occupied communities.

The group alleged that at least 152 hamlets, villages and communities had suffered such attacks.

It said Mr Paul Damian and the DSS were not involved in killings or cattle rustling, adding that cattle intercepted while grazing on farmlands were held pending the identification of their owners and the alleged perpetrators.

The coalition also alleged that Fulani militants had continued to ambush security operatives.

It cited the June 1, 2026, attack on a newly deployed DSS base at Nding Sesut, Fan, in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, as well as the August 23, 2026, attack on Tanjol and Tarai villages in Jol community.

According to the coalition, more than 400 militants attacked the communities, ambushed and killed two DSS officers, and took away their rifles before retreating to Rankum, in the Mahanga area of Riyom Local Government Area.

It further alleged that Mobile Police Force officers were killed two weeks ago in Dares and Kwi villages in Bokkos and Riyom Local Government Areas, respectively.

The group also claimed that the Operations Officer of Operation Rainbow, DSP David Babale, was ambushed and killed near a military checkpoint around Rakok village, on the outskirts of Barkin Ladi.

The coalition said similar ambushes had occurred at Kantoma and Alohgom in Mangu Local Government Area.

It also alleged that sponsors of the militants were raising ₦20 million to intensify media campaigns, file court cases and publish petitions, particularly in certain media outlets, in an effort to frustrate the crackdown on insurgency.

The group called for a thorough investigation into allegations of unprofessional conduct, compromise and collusion involving some Army personnel.

It warned that any demand for the withdrawal of the DSS, Mobile Police Force and Operation Rainbow from Plateau State would amount to support for the continuation of attacks and displacement.

It urged President Bola Tinubu and other Federal Government authorities not to succumb to what it described as manipulation.

“We smell a rat,” the coalition said, adding that the petition and video should be regarded as “ploys and strategies of distraction” and should not be accorded any value.

The coalition called for the appreciation and encouragement of the security agencies rather than their distraction or arbitrary removal.

The statement was jointly signed by Amb. Ezekiel Peter Bini, President of the Irigwe Youths Movement and Chairman of the Coalition; Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, Esq., President of the Berom Youths Moulder-Association and Coordinator, Northern Zone; Amb. Miri Timnan Nyantau, President of the Tarok Progressive Youths Association and Coordinator, Southern Zone; and Mr Jonathan Kyesmang Yusuf, President of the Mwaghavul Youth Movement and Coordinator, Central Zone.