President Tinubu has sent State Police Constitution Amendment Bill to the Senate.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that President Bola Tinubu has formally transmitted a Constitution Alteration Bill seeking the establishment of state police to the Senate, marking a major step toward one of Nigeria’s most significant security reforms.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the development during plenary on Tuesday, revealing that the upper chamber would begin consideration of the proposed constitutional amendment on Wednesday.
According to Akpabio, state governments have also indicated their readiness to consider the state police proposal once it is transmitted to them.
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The bill seeks to amend relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution to provide a legal framework for the creation and operation of state police across the federation.
The proposed legislation is expected to decentralise policing powers and grant state governments greater authority in addressing security challenges within their jurisdictions.
The latest move follows repeated calls by President Tinubu for constitutional reforms aimed at strengthening security architecture across the country.
In February, the President urged the National Assembly to amend the Constitution to accommodate state policing, arguing that the current security structure requires reform to effectively tackle terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other criminal activities.
The administration has maintained that empowering states with policing authority would enhance intelligence gathering, improve response times, and strengthen community-based security efforts.
Akpabio disclosed that the Senate would deliberate on the bill during Wednesday’s sitting as lawmakers continue work on ongoing constitutional amendment proposals.
The Senate President also noted that state legislatures are expected to consider the proposal as part of the constitutional amendment process, which requires approval by at least two-thirds of state Houses of Assembly before becoming law.
The state police proposal has gained momentum in recent months, with growing support from governors, security experts, and other stakeholders who argue that decentralised policing is necessary to address Nigeria’s evolving security threats.
Recall that during his Democracy Day address earlier this month, President Tinubu reiterated his administration’s commitment to tackling insecurity and warned that terrorists, bandits, and their sponsors would face the full weight of the law.
The President stated that more than 13,000 terrorists had been neutralised within the past year and claimed that terrorism-related fatalities had declined significantly compared to previous years.
However, he acknowledged ongoing security challenges, including the continued captivity of some schoolchildren abducted in parts of Oyo and Borno states.
The state police initiative is widely regarded as one of the most far-reaching constitutional and security reforms proposed since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999.
If passed, the legislation would fundamentally alter the country’s policing structure by allowing states to establish and manage their own police services alongside federal law enforcement agencies.
The Senate is expected to continue deliberations on the proposal as lawmakers push forward with broader constitutional amendment efforts.
More details are expected to emerge as the National Assembly begins formal consideration of the bill.
