President Bola Tinubu has transmitted a Constitution Alteration Bill to the Senate seeking to establish state police across Nigeria, in what is shaping up to be one of the most consequential security reforms in the country’s democratic history.
The proposed legislation aims to amend relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution to create a legal framework for state-controlled police formations operating alongside federal security agencies.
Tinubu has long championed the proposal, urging the National Assembly in February to amend the Constitution to accommodate state police, arguing that the reform was essential to combating terrorism, banditry and other security threats plaguing the country.
The President reaffirmed his administration’s security agenda during his Democracy Day address earlier this month, warning that terrorists, bandits and their sponsors would face the full weight of the law. He disclosed that more than 13,000 terrorists had been neutralised in the past year and noted a significant decline in terrorism-related deaths compared to previous administrations.
Tinubu, however, acknowledged that the continued captivity of schoolchildren abducted in Oyo and Borno states remained a painful reminder of how much ground was yet to be covered.
The bill arrives as both chambers of the National Assembly have been advancing constitutional amendment processes aimed at decentralising policing powers. The Senate is expected to convene an emergency plenary session to deliberate on the legislation.
If passed, the bill would grant states the authority to establish and operate their own police formations within a constitutionally defined framework — a move that supporters say will significantly strengthen grassroots security response across the federation.
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