Senate Approves State Police Bill In Historic Security Shift

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…Adopts Measures To Prevent Abuse By Governors

ABUJA – Nigeria on Wednesday moved closer to one of the most far-reaching secu­rity reforms in its democratic history as the Senate passed the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Alteration) Bill, 2026, seeking to establish state police across the federation.

The landmark legislation, which has dominated national discourse for decades, scaled first, second and third readings during a special ple­nary session attended by state gov­ernors, senior presidential aides, security stakeholders and other prominent Nigerians who gathered at the National Assembly to witness what many lawmakers described as a defining moment in the country’s constitutional evolution.

The executive bill was formally presented by the Senate Leader, Sen­ator Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Cen­tral), who led an extensive debate on the need to decentralise policing and create a more responsive security architecture capable of addressing Nigeria’s growing and increasingly complex security challenges.

The Senate’s approval followed hours of deliberations and clause-by-clause consideration by lawmakers.

Although proceedings were briefly delayed by technical difficulties as­sociated with the electronic voting system, senators eventually resorted to manual voting after several law­makers reported that their electronic devices were malfunctioning.

Senate President Godswill Akpa­bio had initially conducted a test run of the electronic system in prepara­tion for voting on the constitutional amendment.

However, complaints from law­makers regarding technical glitches forced the chamber to abandon the electronic process.

With 87 senators present, the Senate proceeded with manual voting, requiring lawmakers to stand and raise their hands while officials of the Sergeant-at-Arms conduct­ed the count.

The passage of the bill marks a significant shift from Nigeria’s long-standing cen­tralised policing structure established under the 1999 constitution.

For years, advocates of state policing have argued that the country’s security realities have outgrown a single feder­al police force responsible for protecting over 230 million citizens spread across diverse ethnic, cultural and geograph­ical environments.

Supporters have main­tained that local authorities possess a better understand­ing of community dynamics, terrain, languages and securi­ty peculiarities, making them better positioned to tackle criminal activities within their jurisdictions.

Opening debate on the bill, Senator Bamidele described the proposal as one of the most consequential constitutional reforms since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999.

According to him, the current centralised policing framework was designed for a different era and has in­creasingly struggled to cope with modern security threats confronting the nation.

He noted that Nigeria’s se­curity landscape has under­gone dramatic transformation over the years, with terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, com­munal conflicts, cybercrime, farmer-herder clashes and organised criminal networks stretching the capacity of fed­eral security agencies.

“The realities of contempo­rary Nigeria have exposed sig­nificant challenges associated with a centralised policing architecture,” Bamidele said.

“Nigeria is a vast federa­tion comprising 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with diverse cultures, languag­es, geographical terrains, se­curity dynamics and socio-eco­nomic conditions.

“The increasing complex­ity of security threats has placed enormous pressure on the existing policing frame­work. The present structure often limits the ability of local authorities to respond swiftly and effectively to security challenges within their juris­dictions.”

The Senate Leader said the bill seeks to establish a constitutional framework that would allow states to create and operate their own police services while preserv­ing the authority and respon­sibilities of the Federal Po­lice Service.

He explained that the proposed arrangement is designed to balance local se­curity needs with national security coordination and constitutional safeguards.

Under the framework ap­proved by the Senate, states that choose to establish their own police services would be empowered to do so within clearly defined constitutional parameters.

The legislation also pro­vides for the retention of a Federal Police Service to con­tinue handling federal offenc­es, national security matters and crimes that transcend state boundaries.

To address fears of political abuse, the bill includes provi­sions for independent State Police Service Commissions as well as national oversight mechanisms intended to guarantee professionalism, accountability and adher­ence to established policing standards.

Bamidele said these safe­guards were deliberately in­corporated to prevent state police formations from becom­ing instruments of political in­timidation or oppression.

He emphasised that nation­al minimum standards would apply across all state police services to ensure consistency in recruitment, training, oper­ations and respect for human rights.

According to him, the re­form offers several advantages capable of transforming Nige­ria’s security architecture.

Among the anticipated benefits are improved com­munity policing, enhanced intelligence gathering, faster emergency response and re­duced pressure on federal law enforcement agencies.

He argued that security agencies perform best when officers possess intimate knowledge of local communi­ties, traditions, languages and social dynamics.

“Security is most effective when law enforcement person­nel understand local commu­nities, languages, customs and terrain,” he stated.

“State Police Services will strengthen intelligence gath­ering and community engage­ment.”

He further argued that decentralised policing would allow local authorities to re­spond more quickly to crimi­nal activities and public safety emergencies, thereby improv­ing overall security outcomes.

The passage of the bill comes amid growing public concern over persistent inse­curity in several parts of the country.

From insurgency in the North-East to banditry in the North-West, kidnapping along major highways, communal conflicts in rural communi­ties and organised criminal activities in urban centres, Nigeria has faced mounting pressure to rethink its secu­rity strategy.

Successive administrations have grappled with calls for state policing, but political disagreements, constitutional concerns and fears of abuse by state governments repeatedly stalled progress.

Advocates of the reform have often pointed to success­ful federal systems around the world where local, state and federal policing struc­tures operate simultaneously under clearly defined legal frameworks.

The Senate’s approval, therefore, represents a major breakthrough in a debate that has endured for more than two decades.

In addition to the State Police Bill, the Senate also passed the Police Trust Fund (Amendment) Bill, aimed at strengthening the financial base of law enforcement agen­cies and improving police wel­fare, training and operational effectiveness.

Lawmakers argued that im­proved funding remains crit­ical to achieving meaningful security reforms and enhanc­ing the capacity of security personnel to perform their duties effectively.

Speaking after the passage of both bills, Senate President Akpabio expressed optimism that the reforms would signifi­cantly improve security across the country.

He said the amendment to the Police Trust Fund Act would enhance the welfare of police personnel and strength­en operational efficiency.

“I believe that the welfare of the police force will be en­hanced and much more effi­cient operations will be car­ried out,” Akpabio said.

The Senate President also expressed confidence that the establishment of state police would contribute substantial­ly to addressing terrorism, banditry and other violent crimes.

“I think Nigerians will be safer with these bills, and banditry and terrorism we are witnessing will not only be mi­nimised but will be reduced to the barest minimum.

“I am of the opinion that Nigerians shall conquer ter­rorism and banditry. And so shall they be.”

Wednesday’s historic vote may ultimately be remem­bered as one of the most con­sequential actions taken by the 10th National Assembly.

However, the journey to­ward full implementation of state police is not yet complete.

As a constitutional amend­ment, the bill must still secure the approval of at least two-thirds of Nigeria’s State Hous­es of Assembly before being transmitted to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for assent.

Political observers believe the coming months will test the strength of the national consensus that has emerged around the issue.

Nevertheless, the Senate’s action has fundamentally altered the trajectory of the debate.

For supporters, it signals a willingness by Nigeria’s po­litical leadership to confront long-standing structural weak­nesses in the country’s securi­ty framework.

For critics, attention will now shift to ensuring that adequate safeguards are put in place to prevent abuse and guarantee that state police serve the interests of citizens rather than political actors.

Either way, the passage of the State Police Bill marks a watershed moment in Nige­ria’s ongoing search for a more effective, accountable and re­sponsive security system.

If eventually ratified and implemented, the reform could redefine policing in Afri­ca’s most populous nation and reshape the country’s securi­ty landscape for generations to come.