Nigeria has moved a step closer to establishing state police as the National Assembly formally transmitted the State Police Constitutional Amendment Bill to the 36 State Houses of Assembly for ratification, marking the next major stage in one of the country’s most significant security reforms in decades.
The bill, which was passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives earlier this week, proposes a dual policing structure that would allow states to establish and manage their own police services alongside the existing Federal Police.
Under Nigeria’s constitutional amendment process, the proposal must now secure the approval of at least 24 state legislatures before it can be transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent. Senate leaders defended the legislation, insisting it is driven by the country’s worsening security challenges rather than political considerations.
Lawmakers argue that decentralising policing will improve intelligence gathering, strengthen community policing, and enable faster responses to banditry, terrorism, kidnapping and other violent crimes affecting many parts of the country.
The proposed amendment also contains safeguards aimed at preventing abuse by state governments. These include federal oversight mechanisms, operational standards, and constitutional checks designed to limit political interference in state-controlled police formations. The inclusion of these provisions followed months of consultations with governors, lawmakers, civil society groups and security stakeholders.
Supporters describe the proposal as a landmark reform capable of transforming Nigeria’s security architecture by bringing law enforcement closer to local communities. However, critics continue to warn that governors could misuse state police for political purposes if oversight mechanisms prove weak.
