The Senate has pledged to accelerate work on constitutional amendments that would pave the way for the creation of state police, following renewed pressure from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for urgent security reforms.
Senate leaders indicated that the National Assembly is prepared to prioritise the proposal as part of the ongoing constitutional review process. According to lawmakers, growing insecurity across several regions has strengthened the case for decentralising policing powers.
President Tinubu recently urged the legislature to act swiftly, arguing that Nigeria’s complex security challenges require structural changes. He maintained that allowing states to establish and manage their own police formations could improve intelligence gathering, rapid response, and community level security coordination.
Under the current framework, policing remains exclusively under federal control. Any change will require the support of two thirds of members in both chambers of the National Assembly, as well as approval by at least twenty four state Houses of Assembly.
Some state governments have already expressed support for the proposal, citing overstretched federal security agencies and the need for locally driven strategies. Others have called for clear operational safeguards to prevent political interference and abuse of authority.
The debate over state police has persisted for years, often dividing political leaders along regional and partisan lines. However, the latest push from the Presidency appears to have injected new urgency into the discussion.
If lawmakers succeed in securing the required legislative backing, Nigeria could move closer to a decentralised policing system, marking one of the most significant constitutional reforms in recent years.
