President Bola Tinubu has formally forwarded a Constitution Alteration Bill proposing the establishment of state police across Nigeria to the Senate, marking a significant step in the country’s ongoing debate over security reforms.
The development was announced by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary on Tuesday.
According to Akpabio, the upper chamber is scheduled to begin consideration of the constitutional amendment bill on Wednesday. He also disclosed that state governments have indicated readiness to examine the proposal once it is transmitted to them.
The proposed legislation seeks to amend sections of the 1999 Constitution to create a legal basis for state-controlled police structures across the federation.
The move aligns with President Tinubu’s repeated calls for constitutional reforms aimed at strengthening internal security and allowing states to play a more active role in policing and protecting their territories.
Earlier in February, Tinubu urged the National Assembly to initiate constitutional changes to accommodate state policing, arguing that Nigeria’s current security realities require broader collaboration between federal and state authorities.
The President had maintained that decentralising policing powers could strengthen efforts to combat terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other security threats affecting different parts of the country.
During his Democracy Day address earlier this month, Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to tackling insecurity, stating that terrorists, bandits and those supporting criminal activities would face decisive action under the law.
He noted that over 13,000 terrorists had reportedly been neutralised within the previous year and said terrorism-related fatalities had reduced compared to earlier periods.
Despite those gains, the President acknowledged that cases involving abducted schoolchildren in Oyo and Borno states remain painful reminders of the security challenges facing the country.
Momentum for state policing has continued to grow in recent months, with both chambers of the National Assembly advancing constitutional amendment discussions focused on decentralising law enforcement responsibilities.
The Senate is also expected to reconvene for an emergency plenary session as lawmakers push forward what could become one of Nigeria’s most significant security and constitutional reforms in recent democratic history.
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