President Bola Tinubu has transmitted a Constitution Alteration Bill seeking the establishment of state police to the Senate, advancing efforts to decentralise policing and strengthen security across Nigeria.
The proposed amendment seeks to create a legal framework for states to establish and manage their own police forces under the 1999 Constitution.
The move follows the President’s repeated calls for constitutional reforms to allow states to play a greater role in securing their territories amid persistent challenges, including terrorism, banditry and other security threats.
In February, Tinubu urged the National Assembly to consider state police as part of broader security reforms, describing it as necessary to improve intelligence gathering and response to crimes.
During his Democracy Day address, the President said security agencies had recorded major successes in tackling terrorism and banditry but acknowledged that ongoing abductions, including the captivity of schoolchildren in Oyo and Borno states, remained a major concern.
The proposal has gained support in the National Assembly, where lawmakers in both chambers have been advancing constitutional amendment processes aimed at devolving policing powers to the states.
The Senate is expected to consider the bill during an emergency plenary session as lawmakers move forward with one of the administration’s key security reform initiatives.