President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has formally transmitted a Constitution Alteration Bill to the Nigerian Senate seeking the establishment of state police across the country.
The proposed legislation seeks to amend relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution to create the legal and institutional framework necessary for the establishment, regulation, and operation of state police forces within Nigeria’s federal system.
The move represents a major milestone in ongoing discussions aimed at reforming the nation’s security architecture and expanding the role of state governments in maintaining law and order within their respective jurisdictions.
For years, advocates of state policing have argued that a decentralised security structure would improve intelligence gathering, enhance community policing, and enable quicker responses to security threats at the local level.
President Tinubu has repeatedly expressed support for constitutional reforms that would allow states to assume greater responsibility for security. In February, he urged the National Assembly to fast-track constitutional amendments that would make state policing a reality, stressing that Nigeria’s evolving security challenges require a more decentralised approach.
According to the President, granting states authority to establish their own police services would strengthen efforts to tackle terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, and other forms of violent crime affecting different parts of the country.
The bill will now undergo legislative scrutiny in the National Assembly, where lawmakers are expected to debate its provisions, assess its implications, and determine how it fits into Nigeria’s constitutional and federal governance structure.
If eventually approved by the National Assembly and endorsed through the constitutional amendment process, the legislation could lead to one of the most significant security reforms since the return to democratic rule in 1999.
