President Tinubu Transmits State Police Amendment Bill To Senate

By Ayodele Oni

A new chapter in Nigeria’s security revolution has taken further step as President Bola Tinubu transmitted a Constitution Alteration Bill seeking the establishment of state police to the Senate.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, disclosed this during Tuesday’s plenary, adding that the Senate will consider the constitutional amendment bill on Wednesday.

Akpabio also announced that states have promised to consider the state police bill on the same day once they receive it.

Tinubu had in February, urged the National Assembly to amend the Constitution to accommodate state police, describing the reform as necessary to tackle terrorism, banditry and other security threats.

During his Democracy Day address earlier this month, the President vowed that terrorists, bandits and their sponsors would face the full weight of the law, insisting that no mercy would be shown to enemies of the state.

Tinubu revealed that more than 13,000 terrorists had been neutralised within the last year and noted that terrorism-related deaths had fallen significantly compared to previous years.

The proposed legislation seeks to amend relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution to create a legal framework for state police across the federation.

The move follows repeated calls by the President for constitutional reforms to enable states to play a greater role in securing their territories.

However, he acknowledged that the continued captivity of schoolchildren abducted in Oyo and Borno states remained a painful reminder of the country’s security challenges.

The state police proposal has gained momentum in recent months, with both chambers of the National Assembly advancing constitutional amendment processes aimed at decentralising policing powers to the states.

The Senate reconvened on Tuesday, for an emergency plenary session as lawmakers move to pass the bill and advance one of the most far-reaching security reforms in the country’s democratic history.

If approved, the reform would give states greater responsibility in protecting their communities, while creating a new structure for tackling rising security threats, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes.

The move follows years of national debate over whether Nigeria’s centralised policing system is strong enough to respond effectively to security challenges across its vast territories.