The Senate on Wednesday passed for third reading a Constitution Alteration Bill seeking to establish state police, marking a significant milestone in the ongoing amendment of the 1999 Constitution aimed at strengthening security and decentralising policing across Nigeria.
The passage followed extensive deliberations by lawmakers, who argued that the creation of state police would help address the country’s growing security challenges, including banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and other violent crimes.
Before consideration of the bill, the Senate suspended its rules to admit the governors of Ondo, Ogun and Kaduna states, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and other senior government officials into the chamber to observe proceedings.
The upper chamber also adopted manual voting after technical difficulties disrupted the electronic voting system during the session.
Leading debate on the proposal, the Senate Leader said the constitutional amendment would establish both federal and state police services, while incorporating safeguards to prevent abuse of the state policing structure by governors and other state authorities.
Several senators who contributed to the debate threw their weight behind the bill, describing it as a necessary reform to improve security architecture and enable states to respond more effectively to local threats.
Supporters of the measure argued that the current centralised policing system has become overstretched and requires restructuring to meet contemporary security demands across the federation.
With the Senate’s approval, the bill will now be transmitted to the House of Representatives for concurrence.
If passed by the House and subsequently endorsed by at least two-thirds of the State Houses of Assembly, the proposed constitutional amendment will be forwarded to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for assent, paving the way for the formal establishment of state police in Nigeria.
The development represents one of the most consequential proposals under the ongoing constitutional review process, with advocates insisting it could significantly reshape the country’s security framework.
