Tinubu Submits Landmark State Police Bill To Senate

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ABUJA – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has formally transmitted the constitution of the Federal Re­public of Nigeria (Alteration) State Police Bill, 2026, to the Sen­ate, reigniting a long-standing national debate on decentralise policing and setting the stage for what could become one of the most far-reaching security reforms in Nigeria’s democrat­ic history.

The proposed constitution­al amendment, which seeks to establish a framework for state policing across the federation, was read for the first time during Senate plenary and subsequently referred to the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Consti­tution for accelerated consider­ation.

Reading the president’s com­munication to lawmakers, Sen­ate President Godswill Akpabio said President Tinubu described the bill as a crucial step towards restructuring Nigeria’s security architecture and urged the Na­tional Assembly to give it expe­ditious treatment.

Akpabio disclosed that the Senate would work to fast-track legislative action on the proposal and ensure its timely transmis­sion to state Houses of Assembly, which must approve the amend­ment before it can become law.

According to him, the bill builds on extensive work already undertaken by both chambers of the National Assembly and contains provisions designed to create a dual policing system comprising a Federal Police Ser­vice and State Police Services, complete with constitutional safeguards.

The Senate President argued that the establishment of state police would bring security clos­er to the people, making policing more proactive, responsive and community-driven.

He said local policing struc­tures would encourage greater citizen participation in safe­guarding communities and im­proving intelligence gathering at the grassroots level.

Akpabio noted that residents are generally more familiar with individuals within their localities and would therefore be better positioned to identify suspicious movements, criminal elements and potential security threats before they escalate.

“The objective is to move from a reactive security framework to a proactive one that enables early detection, prevention and rapid response,” he said.

Supporters of the proposal have long maintained that Nige­ria’s centralised policing struc­ture has struggled to effectively address the country’s diverse and complex security challenges, in­cluding insurgency, banditry, kid­napping, communal violence and other forms of criminality.

Following the first reading, the Senate referred the bill to the Constitution Review Commit­tee with instructions to report back within days. The proposal is expected to proceed to consid­eration by the Committee of the Whole before its final passage by the National Assembly.

Commending members of the Constitution Review Com­mittee for nearly two years of work on the initiative, Akpabio described the State Police Bill as one of the most significant out­comes of the ongoing constitu­tional amendment process.

He expressed optimism that the reform would strengthen internal security mechanisms and provide states with greater capacity to address local security concerns.

The Senate President linked the urgency of the legislation to the persistent security chal­lenges confronting the country, stressing that innovative and locally driven solutions had be­come imperative.