Tinubu Transmits Constitutional Amendment Bill for State Police to Senate

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has formally transmitted a constitutional alteration bill to the Senate aimed at establishing state police forces in Nigeria, marking a significant milestone in long-standing efforts to decentralize the country’s security architecture.

The bill, transmitted on June 15, 2026, was read during plenary on Monday by Senate President Godswill Akpabio. It seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution to provide a legal framework for a dual policing structure, allowing the 36 states to establish and manage their own police services alongside the existing federal Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

According to the communication from the Presidency, the proposed amendment is a critical step in reorganizing Nigeria’s policing system.

It aims to enhance security, improve citizen protection, and enable communities, municipalities, and local government areas to play more active roles in maintaining law and order.

President Tinubu has consistently described the creation of state police as urgent for addressing Nigeria’s evolving security challenges, strengthening grassroots policing, and giving states greater capacity to respond swiftly to threats within their jurisdictions.

Senate President Akpabio referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Constitutional Review, directing it to report back on Wednesday.

He emphasized the value of community-based security, noting that local authorities are better positioned to detect suspicious activities early.

He outlined a phased implementation process involving constitutional alteration followed by an Act of Parliament, stressing the inclusion of robust safeguards.

The Senate leader described the issue as non-partisan and urged lawmakers to attend the next sitting, highlighting the need for a two-thirds majority to pass constitutional amendments.

This latest transmission builds on recent legislative momentum. Just two weeks earlier, the Senate had passed an executive bill on state police for second reading, while the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a related constitutional amendment bill.

The push for state police has been a recurring debate in Nigeria for decades.

Proponents argue it would enable faster, more localized responses to insecurity challenges such as banditry, kidnapping, insurgency, and communal clashes issues that have stretched the centralized federal police and military resources.

Critics have raised concerns about potential abuse by state governors, funding disparities between states, and risks of politicization, even as supporters including the current administration, insist that proper safeguards and a regulatory framework can mitigate these risks.

Tinubu had earlier urged the National Assembly to amend the constitution to accommodate state police, describing it as essential to “secure our country” and address threats like forest marauders.

With the bill now before the Senate’s constitutional review committee, lawmakers are expected to deliberate on details, including coordination mechanisms between federal and state forces, recruitment standards, and oversight structures.

If passed by the required two-thirds majority in both chambers of the National Assembly and ratified by at least two-thirds of state houses of assembly, the amendment would pave the way for states to begin establishing their police forces through subsequent legislation.

This development comes amid ongoing national conversations about security sector reform and represents one of the most concrete legislative steps yet toward decentralizing policing in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.