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PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has formally transmitted a constitutional amendment bill seeking the establishment of state police to the Senate, in a move widely regarded as a major step toward overhauling Nigeria’s security architecture.
President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, disclosed this during plenary on Tuesday, announcing that the upper chamber would commence consideration of the bill on Wednesday.
Akpabio said the proposal had also received assurances of prompt consideration from state legislatures across the federation once transmitted to them, in line with constitutional requirements for amendment of the 1999 Constitution.
According to him, governors and state assemblies have indicated their readiness to treat the bill expeditiously because of its significance to national security and grassroots policing.
Realnews Magazine reports that proposed legislation seeks to amend relevant provisions of the Constitution to allow states to establish and maintain their own police services alongside the Nigeria Police Force, which is currently the sole constitutionally recognised police institution in the country.
The move comes amid growing calls for the decentralisation of policing in response to rising insecurity, including banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, communal conflicts and other criminal activities across various parts of the country.
Stakeholders have long argued that Nigeria’s centrally controlled policing system has become overstretched, given the country’s large population, vast geographical spread and evolving security challenges.
Supporters of state police contend that locally controlled police formations would possess better knowledge of their communities, improve intelligence gathering and enhance rapid response to security threats.
They also argue that state police would strengthen community policing initiatives and reduce the burden on federal security agencies.
However, opponents have expressed concerns that state governors could misuse such police formations for political purposes, particularly during elections and periods of political contestation.
To address such concerns, advocates of the reform have proposed robust constitutional safeguards, independent oversight mechanisms, operational guidelines and clear delineation of powers between federal and state policing institutions.
The issue of state police has remained one of the most debated constitutional reforms since Nigeria’s return to democratic governance in 1999.
Several national conferences, constitutional review exercises and committees on restructuring have recommended varying forms of decentralised policing as part of broader efforts to strengthen security and deepen federalism.
In February 2024, the National Economic Council (NEC), chaired by Vice-President Kashim Shettima and comprising the 36 state governors, endorsed the creation of state police in principle and directed the preparation of modalities for its implementation.
The endorsement marked one of the strongest institutional backings for the initiative in recent years and renewed momentum for constitutional amendments required to actualise the proposal.
Under Section 9 of the Constitution, any amendment must secure the support of at least two-thirds of members of both chambers of the National Assembly and be approved by no fewer than 24 state Houses of Assembly before it can receive presidential assent.
Analysts believe that successful passage of the bill could represent one of the most far-reaching security reforms undertaken in Nigeria since independence, potentially reshaping the country’s policing framework and intergovernmental security coordination.
The Senate is expected to begin detailed deliberations on the proposal on Wednesday.
F.O
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