BREAKING: Tinubu Sends State Police Bill To Senate For Constitutional Amendment

President Bola Tinubu has formally transmitted a Constitution Alteration Bill to the Senate seeking the establishment of state police across Nigeria.

The proposed legislation aims to amend relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution to provide a legal framework for state-controlled policing, a move widely seen as a major step toward decentralising the nation’s security architecture.

The bill follows sustained calls for constitutional reforms to enable state governments to play a more active role in securing their territories amid growing security challenges across the country.

President Tinubu had, in February, urged the National Assembly to amend the Constitution to accommodate state police, arguing that the reform had become necessary to effectively combat terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other criminal activities.

Speaking during his Democracy Day address earlier this month, the President reiterated his administration’s commitment to tackling insecurity, vowing that terrorists, bandits, and their sponsors would face the full weight of the law.

Tinubu noted that security forces had neutralised more than 13,000 terrorists within the past year, while terrorism-related fatalities had dropped significantly compared to previous years. However, he acknowledged that the continued captivity of some schoolchildren abducted in Oyo and Borno states remained a painful reminder of the country’s lingering security challenges.

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

The Senate is expected to reconvene for an emergency plenary session to deliberate on the proposal, which is being regarded as one of the most significant security reforms in Nigeria’s democratic history.

Further details are expected as legislative consideration of the bill progresses.