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The Senate has slated constitutional amendments to create state police in Nigeria for this week, with indications that the proposal will be forwarded to the 36 State Houses of Assembly for consideration after passage.
Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs. He said lawmakers had reached a consensus to treat the state police provision as a standalone bill due to its urgency, rather than as part of the broader constitutional review.
Bamidele said there was broad agreement across key stakeholders, including the executive and subnational governments, on the need for state policing. He added that the Senate was determined to conclude work on the bill within the legislative week beginning Tuesday.
“Our position is very clear on state police. We are standing with Nigerians on the issue of state police. All strata of the federation have made it clear that there cannot be a better time to establish a state police than now,” he said.
“We came to the conclusion that we are going to pass the constitutional amendment in this respect to make a provision for the state police. If I can tell you as of today, that will come to fruition this very week because there is no need to allow any further delay,” Bamidele said.
According to him, extensive consultations had been held with relevant stakeholders, including the Office of the Attorney-General, the Chief of Staff to the President, the Inspector-General of Police, and other security and governance actors.
“They had been in a series of meetings with the office of Attorney-General, Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila; Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Tunji Disu and other stakeholders in the last one week and that is why I can sit here to tell you that we’re pursuing that this week,” he said.
He added that once passed by the National Assembly, the bill would be transmitted to state legislatures, where approval by at least two-thirds of the assemblies is required before presidential assent.
Bamidele expressed confidence that the proposal had reached an advanced stage, noting that the President and governors were aligned with the reform initiative.
“The bill can as well be on its way to the 36 States Houses of Assembly as soon as possible because you know we will need two-thirds of the state assemblies to approve it before the president can assent to it. The president is also with us on this proposal. I am sure he cannot wait for the bill to come to him for assent,” he said.
The Chief of Staff to the President had earlier indicated that President Bola Tinubu would receive a comprehensive report on the proposed establishment of state police as consultations on the constitutional framework near completion.
The debate over state police has remained a recurring national issue, driven by rising insecurity and arguments that a centralised police system is overstretched and less effective in addressing local security challenges. The proposal is part of ongoing constitutional reforms to restructure Nigeria’s security framework.
However, concerns have also been raised about possible abuse by state authorities if policing powers are decentralised.
