President Bola Tinubu has transmitted to the House of Representatives a bill seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution to provide the legal framework for the establishment of state police across the country.
The bill marks the most significant restructuring of Nigeria’s policing architecture since the return to democratic rule in 1999.
In a letter dated June 15, 2026, and addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, the President urged lawmakers to give expedited consideration to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, describing the proposal as a key component of his administration’s security reforms.
Reading the letter during Tuesday’s plenary by the Speaker, Tinubu said the bill seeks to create “a constitutional pathway for the establishment of State Police Services” to strengthen Nigeria’s response to growing security challenges.
According to the President, the proposed legislation builds on previous work already undertaken by the House of Representatives on the issue while introducing additional safeguards to ensure the effective operation of a dual policing system.
“This bill builds on the significant work already done in this regard by the House of Representatives and incorporates additional safeguards to ensure that the creation of a dual policing structure to address our nation’s evolving national security challenges can be achieved quickly and effectively to the benefit of all Nigerians,” the letter stated.
The President described the legislation as a critical aspect of his administration’s efforts to reorganise the country’s security architecture and appealed to lawmakers to accord it speedy legislative consideration.
“The proposed legislation is a critical component of our administration’s strategy to reorganise Nigeria’s security architecture to better protect our citizens, and I am confident that the House of Representatives will act quickly to consider and pass this bill,” Tinubu wrote.
The President also expressed optimism that the National Assembly would expedite work on the proposal, saying he looked forward to its prompt consideration.
The latest move represents the strongest executive push yet for constitutional recognition of state policing, a proposal that has remained one of the country’s most debated constitutional reform issues for over two decades.
Nigeria currently operates a single, centrally controlled police system under the Nigeria Police Force, as provided by the 1999 Constitution. Successive administrations, state governors, security experts and constitutional reform advocates have argued that the country’s centralised policing structure has become overstretched in the face of rising insecurity, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, communal violence and other violent crimes.
The call for state police has gained momentum in recent years as governors increasingly rely on regional and state-backed security outfits, including Amotekun in the South-West, Ebube Agu in parts of the South-East and various vigilante organisations, to complement federal security agencies.
Supporters of state police argue that decentralising policing would improve intelligence gathering, response time and community policing, while opponents have consistently raised concerns over the potential abuse of state-controlled police by governors for political purposes.
The House of Representatives has, in recent years, considered several constitutional amendment proposals on state police through its Constitution Review Committee, but none has completed the rigorous constitutional amendment process requiring approval by two-thirds of both chambers of the National Assembly and at least 24 state Houses of Assembly.
If passed by the National Assembly and ratified by 24 out of the 36 state assemblies, the bill would amend the Constitution to establish a dual policing system, allowing both the Federal Government and state governments to operate constitutionally recognised police services.
The proposed legislation is expected to trigger fresh debate within the National Assembly and among stakeholders over the structure, powers, funding, oversight and operational safeguards for state police as lawmakers begin consideration of the bill.
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