The Nigerian Senate has passed the Constitution Amendment Bill seeking to establish state police services for a second reading, moving the long-debated proposal one step closer to becoming law.
The proposed amendment aims to create state-controlled police services while retaining the Nigeria Police Force as a strong federal institution with national standards, oversight mechanisms, and safeguards against abuse.
Leading the debate on the floor of the Senate, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said the bill would strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture by allowing states to establish their own police services under an independent regulatory framework.
According to him, the proposed legislation seeks to establish State Police Service Commissions, improve community policing, strengthen intelligence gathering, and enhance the country’s ability to respond to local security threats.
Bamidele argued that the current centralized policing system has become increasingly stretched in the face of rising insecurity across the country.
Several senators spoke in support of the bill during the debate, describing state policing as a necessary reform to tackle growing security challenges.
Among those who backed the proposal were Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe, Aminu Tambuwal, and Mohammed Monguno.
While supporting the bill, the lawmakers emphasized the need to include strong constitutional safeguards that would prevent state governors or other political actors from abusing the powers of state police.
They also stressed the importance of protecting citizens’ rights and ensuring accountability within any new policing structure.
Following extensive deliberations, the Senate referred the bill to the Committee of the Whole for further legislative consideration and detailed clause-by-clause review.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio said the constitutional amendment represents an important step toward addressing Nigeria’s persistent security challenges.
According to him, creating state police would improve security at the grassroots level and respond to longstanding calls from stakeholders for a more decentralized policing system.
If eventually passed by the National Assembly, approved by at least two-thirds of the country’s State Houses of Assembly, and signed into law by the President, the amendment would pave the way for individual states to establish and operate their own police services alongside the federal police.
The proposal has remained one of Nigeria’s most debated constitutional reforms, with supporters arguing that locally controlled policing would improve intelligence gathering and crime prevention. At the same time, critics continue to raise concerns about potential political interference and abuse of power.
The Senate’s latest action marks another significant milestone in the ongoing effort to reform Nigeria’s security and policing framework.
