BREAKING: Tinubu Sends State Police Amendment Bill to Senate

President Bola Tinubu has transmitted a Constitution Alteration Bill to the Senate seeking the establishment of state police across the country, a move that could significantly reshape Nigeria’s security architecture.

The proposed legislation aims to amend relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution to provide a legal framework for the creation and operation of state police forces alongside existing federal security institutions.

The development marks a major step in ongoing efforts to decentralise policing powers and strengthen internal security across the federation.

The bill follows repeated calls by President Tinubu for constitutional reforms that would enable states to play a more active role in safeguarding lives and property within their territories.

Speaking at various national engagements in recent months, the President has argued that the current centralised policing structure requires reform to effectively address growing security challenges, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes.

In February, Tinubu specifically urged the National Assembly to amend the Constitution to accommodate state police, describing the proposal as a necessary response to evolving security threats facing different parts of the country.

The President reiterated his commitment to strengthening national security during his Democracy Day address earlier this month, where he vowed that terrorists, bandits and their sponsors would face the full weight of the law.

According to him, security operations conducted across the country have resulted in the neutralisation of more than 13,000 terrorists within the last year.

He also noted that terrorism-related deaths had declined significantly compared to previous years, although he acknowledged that incidents such as the abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo and Borno states highlighted the need for continued efforts.

The state police proposal has gained increasing support in recent months, with lawmakers, governors and stakeholders advancing arguments that localised policing would improve intelligence gathering, rapid response capabilities and community-based security management.

Both chambers of the National Assembly have already been considering constitutional amendment proposals aimed at devolving certain policing responsibilities to the states.

Meanwhile, the Senate is expected to reconvene for an emergency plenary session to deliberate on the bill and other constitutional reform measures.

If passed and approved through the constitutional amendment process, the legislation would represent one of the most significant security reforms in Nigeria’s democratic history, potentially changing the structure and administration of policing nationwide.