Nigeria’s Senate has announced plans to conclude the amendment of the 1999 Constitution to allow for the creation of state police before the end of 2026, marking what could become one of the most consequential security reforms since the country’s return to democratic rule.
The Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, disclosed that the upper chamber would resume work on the constitutional review immediately after plenary reconvenes next week. According to him, lawmakers are determined to fast-track the process and ensure that the amendment is completed well ahead of the next general election cycle.
The renewed legislative momentum follows a formal request by Bola Tinubu, who has urged the National Assembly to incorporate state policing into the constitution as part of broader efforts to address Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
Speaking during an interfaith breaking of the fast at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the President appealed to senators to begin immediate deliberations on how best to amend the constitution to establish state police. He framed the proposal as a structural solution to persistent security challenges, including armed banditry, kidnapping, and violent incursions into forested regions.
In a separate address to members of the House of Representatives, the President emphasised that any constitutional framework enabling state police must contain clear safeguards to prevent abuse by state governors. He cautioned against creating an arrangement that would operate without institutional checks and balances, noting that past governance experiences should inform the structure of the reform.
Adaramodu assured Nigerians that the Senate is fully aligned with the President’s vision and prepared to treat the amendment as a priority legislative matter. He noted that substantial groundwork had already been completed before lawmakers temporarily shifted focus to electoral reforms.
According to him, the constitution review process had progressed significantly prior to the urgency surrounding the Electoral Amendment Bill. With that legislation now signed into law and the 2026 Appropriation Bill addressed, the Senate is prepared to resume deliberations on the state police proposal without delay.
He pledged that the amendment would be finalised before political campaigns commence ahead of the next general elections. The intention, he explained, is to complete legislative procedures, secure passage in both chambers, and transmit the bill to the President for assent well before electioneering activities begin.
Adaramodu revealed that extensive consultations have already been conducted nationwide. These include stakeholder engagements across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones, as well as discussions with security experts, civil society groups, and political actors.
Reports and findings from these consultations have been compiled by the Senate committee overseeing constitutional review. According to the Senate spokesman, state police enjoys broad-based support across multiple sectors of society.
He described the proposal as a “popular demand,” noting alignment among the executive branch, state governors, and the National Assembly. The emerging consensus, he suggested, reflects widespread recognition that Nigeria’s centralised policing model faces operational and manpower limitations.
Despite the growing political support, influential socio-political organisations have warned that the reform must incorporate robust safeguards to prevent misuse.
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), led by its National President Baba Ngelzarma, expressed conditional support for the initiative. Ngelzarma acknowledged the acute shortage of security personnel nationwide and argued that decentralising policing could enhance crime response capacity.
However, he warned that recruitment into state police formations must reflect ethnic and religious diversity within each state. Failure to ensure balanced representation, he argued, could aggravate existing tensions rather than resolve them.
He also cautioned that without constitutional oversight provisions, governors might deploy state police structures against political opponents. To mitigate this risk, he recommended that the Federal Government retain regulatory authority and that the National Assembly establish supervisory mechanisms capable of monitoring state police operations.
Similarly, the pan-Yoruba socio-political group Afenifere has endorsed the concept of state policing while stressing the necessity of legal restraints. Its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, argued that many crimes occur at local levels and are more effectively addressed through community-driven security structures.
Nonetheless, Ajayi emphasised that citizens must have legal avenues to challenge any misuse of state police authority. He urged lawmakers to embed judicial review mechanisms within the constitutional amendment to ensure accountability.
Within political circles, discussions have emerged regarding the specific constitutional provisions requiring amendment. A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Ayodele Arise, suggested that Section 214 of the Constitution — which currently centralises policing under federal authority — should be amended to move policing to the Concurrent Legislative List.
Such a move would enable both federal and state governments to maintain separate police structures, similar to federal systems in other jurisdictions. Arise clarified that establishing state police would not eliminate the federal police but would instead create parallel law enforcement frameworks operating within clearly defined jurisdictions.
He expressed confidence that, given the ruling party’s legislative majority and control of numerous state governments, the amendment could be achieved within months if political will remains consistent.
The proposed reform represents a structural shift in Nigeria’s security architecture. Currently, the Nigeria Police Force operates as a centrally controlled institution under federal authority. Critics have long argued that this arrangement limits responsiveness to localised threats and overstretches personnel across vast territories.
Proponents contend that state police would improve intelligence gathering, enhance community trust, and reduce response times. Opponents fear political weaponisation, uneven capacity among states, and the risk of fragmentation in national security coordination.
As plenary resumes, the Senate faces the technical and political challenge of drafting amendments capable of securing the constitutionally required supermajority in both chambers and approval by at least two-thirds of state Houses of Assembly.
If successful, the amendment could redefine the balance of power between federal and state governments in Nigeria’s security framework. However, the durability and effectiveness of state policing will ultimately depend on the strength of oversight mechanisms, recruitment standards, and institutional safeguards embedded within the final constitutional text.
With mounting insecurity across various regions of the country, the pressure to deliver a workable reform is considerable. Lawmakers now carry the responsibility of ensuring that decentralisation enhances security without undermining democratic accountability.
