The National Assembly has moved closer to establishing state police, with both the Senate and the House of Representatives advancing legislation to amend the 1999 Constitution and decentralise policing in Nigeria.
In the House of Representatives, lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the constitutional amendment during plenary, with 289 of the 290 members present voting in favour of the bill, while one member voted against it.
The legislation seeks to transfer policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, allowing state governments to establish and operate their own police formations. It also proposes amendments to key sections of the 1999 Constitution, including Sections 197, 214 and 215.
Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, described the passage of the bill as a significant step toward creating a policing system that is more responsive to local security challenges while preserving Nigeria’s unity and sovereignty.
He said effective security remains the foundation for national development and expressed confidence that decentralised policing would improve public safety across the country.
The House also approved provisions replacing the Police Service Commission with a Federal Police Service Commission and renaming the Nigeria Police Council as the National Police Council.
Under the proposed amendment, states would be required to pass their own laws establishing state police and meet national minimum standards before commencing operations. The Federal Police would continue to perform federal policing responsibilities while working alongside state police where established.
Meanwhile, the Senate passed the bill for second reading and referred it to its Ad-hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution for further legislative consideration.
Leading the debate, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said the proposal would strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture by improving intelligence gathering, enhancing community policing, and enabling faster responses to local security threats.
He argued that the country’s centralised policing system has struggled to effectively address terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, communal clashes, armed robbery, cybercrime, and other emerging security challenges.
Bamidele noted that the proposed legislation contains safeguards to prevent abuse by state governments, including the establishment of State Police Service Commissions, federal oversight, uniform national policing standards, legislative confirmation of senior appointments, and constitutional procedures for accountability.
Several senators also supported the proposal, saying decentralised policing would strengthen community security and provide a more effective response to the country’s growing security concerns.
If eventually passed by both chambers, approved by at least two-thirds of the state Houses of Assembly, and assented to by the President, the constitutional amendment would pave the way for the establishment of state police across Nigeria.
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