Senate to Consider State Police Bill This Week — Bamidele

The Senate has scheduled deliberation on a constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish State Police across Nigeria, according to the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele.

Bamidele disclosed on Monday that the proposal would be one of the Senate’s top priorities during the legislative week. He noted that the National Assembly intends to treat the State Police provision as an urgent national matter and may separate it from other ongoing constitutional amendment processes to accelerate its passage.

According to him, there is growing consensus among key stakeholders on the need for State Police, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, state governors and members of the National Assembly.

He stated that once passed by the National Assembly, the bill would be transmitted to the 36 State Houses of Assembly for consideration, as required for constitutional amendments.

“Our position is very clear on state police. We are standing with Nigerians on the issue of state police,” Bamidele said.

The proposal seeks to amend Section 214(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which currently provides for a single national police force known as the Nigeria Police Force.

Supporters of State Police argue that decentralising policing will improve security, intelligence gathering and rapid response to local threats, especially amid rising concerns over banditry, terrorism, kidnapping and other crimes across various parts of the country.

The debate over State Police has remained one of the most significant constitutional and security reforms under consideration in recent years, with advocates insisting that state governments require greater control over security operations within their territories.

If approved by both the National Assembly and the required number of State Houses of Assembly, the amendment would mark a major restructuring of Nigeria’s policing framework.